Turning Point
by Snarky Badger
Summary: *Venom Fic* They've been living on the streets for years, barely scraping by. Jasmine, a mutant, more animal than human, has done her best to keep the four of them alive. But when she goes through with a plan to ambush a shopkeep for money, everything that can go wrong, does. She might be able to outmaneuver the police, but getting away from Venom? That might be a little trickier.
1. Chapter 1

Hello all! I've been a fanfic writer for many years, though you'd never know it, because I changed my name! (And no, before you ask, I won't tell you who I used to be) This fic is my baby, I've been working on it for over two years, and, honestly, I'm STILL working on it (along with it's sequels, and short stories, all at the same time).

But there's some important info you need to know. In this story, I've based Eddie Brock/Venom on the 90s comic version of him. Specifically anything after Amazing Spiderman #374 (1992) and the Lethal Protector mini series that followed. (You can find the comics on torrent sites if you look hard enough). This means that I'm ignoring the movie canon, and pretty much everything after Venom: the Hunger.

Here, the symbiote is sentient, and, as mentioned in 'Planet of the Symbiotes' was ostracized from it's homeworld because it sought a balance with it's host, rather than domination over it. When melded with Eddie into Venom, they don't change into a huge, hulking monstrosity. (Look up Mark Bagley's Venom art from the 90s, and you'll see what he looks like in my head-canon.)

* * *

Words in between - _these_ \- are translated from sign language.  
Zoe is pronounced: "Zoh-ee"

* * *

.

.

.

"Stop! _Thief!_ "

Wolf-gold eyes narrowed as the black haired mutant sped up and tightened her hold on her backpack, wanting to make sure that the food she had gone through the trouble of stealing wouldn't fall out.

"I'm sorry!" she yelled back, doubting that the market store owner would believe her apology but wanting to put it out there anyway. She hadn't even gotten enough food, either. He had noticed her earlier than she had guessed, and it had almost gotten her caught.

Cursing herself for not casing out the store ahead of time and thus ensuring that she'd enough time to grab what she needed, she wove her way through the crowd with practiced ease, reaching back to pull the hood of her jacket over her head. Her face hidden, she ducked into an alley and hastily made her way up the first fire-escape she came upon. She wasn't in the best part of San Francisco. Here, it wasn't the cops she had to be wary of, but the gangs. Especially if they realised that she was a mutant. Friends of Humanity had a chapter in every major city in the United States, and they weren't against joining gangs to get their 'work' done.

 _And I'm in no shape to get in a fight either_. The fingers of her left hand curled slightly, as far as the cast she had on that arm would allow. She had broken it a week ago in an ambush, where five men had attacked her and her friends. Hospitals were never her thing, but her friends had insisted and then promptly dragged her to the closest emergency room. That visit had completely depleted what little funds they had; none of it had been legally earned mind you, but it had been all they had.

She and three other women were currently living in an abandoned warehouse near the docks. They had met on the streets, all of them homeless for various reasons. Jasmine's protective instincts had led her to 'take in' the three teenagers. It had it's ups and downs, but at least with the four of them banded together, they could look out for each other, defending themselves from the others that also dwelled on the streets. It didn't help that Jasmine had a reputation with the gangs in the city, one that she had gotten for all the fights she had gotten into and won against various bullies and gang members.

Shaking her head to pull her thoughts back to the present, she slung her bag onto her back and slid her arms through the straps, tightening them before sweeping her gaze over the roof she was on. The next building over was close enough for her to reach it, and, with the sound of potential pursuit in the alley below her, it didn't really leave her much choice.

Glad that her mutant abilities gifted her with inhuman strength, agility and speed, she took a running start and leapt over to the next building, not even bothering to slow down as her worn boots hit the ragged roof, found purchase, and enabled her to keep in stride as she repeated the procedure once more.

Only once she was certain that she was far enough away from her most recent crime did she stop, stepping around a mess of ventilation pipes and leaning back against them, blowing her hair out of her eyes as she gazed up at the darkening sky. _Damn. It's later than I thought..._

It was a rule amongst her and her group that when they needed to steal to survive, that they always made sure that it was a fair distance away from their current base of residence, something that they changed every two weeks in order to stay safe. That meant that she still had a half-hour walk back to the 'safehouse', and she didn't even have a decent meal to show for her efforts.

 _Stupid arm. Pain slows me down, makes me sloppy._ Glaring at the offending appendage and the cast that stretched from her hand up to just below her elbow, she squeezed one of the fingers of her right hand under the cast and vainly tried to scratch at the itch that was just beyond her reach. With an exasperated growl, she banged her head back against the ventilation duct, took twisted comfort that the brief pain in her head lessened the itching under the cast, then pushed away from it. _Gotta get back. Zoe worries when I'm late._

* * *

"I knew it was a bad idea to let her go off on her own."

Angel rolled her eyes where she was sitting on an old couch, her feet propped up on an over-turned milk crate in the vain hopes that elevating them would ease the annoying swelling of her ankles. Feeling movement, she rested both hands on her swollen belly, smiling as she felt her baby move within her. "Calm down, Zoe," she murmured for the fifth time in as many minutes. "Jasmine can take care of herself."

The flame-haired woman that was pacing the length of the room snorted, dark brown eyes narrowed in mixed worry and exasperation. "Oh please. We're talking about the fool who broke her arm last week in a street fight. I know she's protective of us, but almost getting herself killed is just downright dumb!"

"She had her reasons," Angel gently reminded her. "Besides, she loves to fight, and as much as I wish she didn't pull stunts like she does, she is good at it."

A drawn out sigh left Zoe's lips as she ran a hand through her mess of hair that was currently in Hair of Death phase; every lock of hair was sticking out in a different direction, making it look like she had stuck her pinky nail into a light-socket. "I know... I guess I'm just afraid of what will happen if we lose her. I've been on the streets for three years, and I still don't know half of what Jaz does."

"She's been on her own for a long, _long_ , time, Zee." Angel sighed as Zoe walked over and threw herself down next to her, making the couch shudder and groan warningly. "And we're the only family she has. I can understand why she's so protective of us. Not to mention the fact that she's the oldest amongst us."

"Meh."

Rolling her eyes, Angel gingerly lowered her feet to the floor, then slowly stood up, one hand on her belly and one pressing against the small of her back. "Oof. Kid's gotta stop kicking me in the kidneys," she chuckled as she made her way over to a partially boarded up window, peering through some of the cracks and quirking an eyebrow up when she saw that the sun was almost beneath the horizon. _Maybe Zee has a point. It is getting late..._

A series of finger snaps drew both of their attentions over to the main door, where Catalina, the fourth member of their little rag-tag group waved to announce that Jasmine was home. Strands of her brown hair came loose from it's extravagant pile atop her head to fall into her expressive - yet eerie - amethyst eyes as her hands moved in front of her in the specific gestures of sign language. - _I don't think things went well, guys_.-

Zoe frowned and got to her feet as Jasmine appeared in the doorway, a rather perturbed look on her face. "What happened?"

"Stupid bloody arm is what," Jaz growled, letting Cat take the backpack from her before she shrugged out of her worn-down jacket and tossed it into a corner. "It slows me down, makes me sloppy. Nevermind the fact that it still hurts like hell."

Smiling, Angel picked up the bottle of Tylenol on the coffee table and a half-finished bottle of flavoured water, walking over her friend and holding them out to her. "Here. It'll take the edge off."

A sheepish look crossed Jaz's face as she meekly accepted the offering, the amber fading from her wolf-eyes, leaving a rich green behind. "Thanks. I've been snippy lately, haven't I?"

"You broke your arm! You're allowed!" Zoe said, turning to look at Cat as the teen set out what Jasmine had brought home on the card table that currently served as their dining room table. "Besides, you got a good haul."

"Maybe..." Shrugging, Jaz swallowed five extra-strength tylenol along with a guzzle of water, then looked over at Cat. "Hey, pup. You holding up okay?"

- _Perfect. Why?_ \- Cat signed in return, tilting her head to one side quizzically.

"Making sure you're up to finishing this elaborate tribal drawing you started on my cast," she winked, slowly starting to relax now that she was 'home'. Sighing, she walked over to the couch and slowly settled herself down onto it, groaning as she propped her feet up and draped her arms along the back of the couch.

Her gaze swept over their temporary 'home', an old abandoned warehouse near the docks, wrinkling her nose at how dilapidated it looked and smelled. It would be time to move soon, mostly because she and Zoe had been casing out a high-end specialty grocery store, learning and memorizing when the owner brought his weekly 'earnings' to the bank. The foolish twit obviously didn't realise that not only was it a bad idea to personally bring the money to the bank on foot, but that to do it once a week, on the same day and the same time was just utterly ridiculous.

Truthfully, she never really liked stealing money. Food was one thing, you needed food to live, but ever since she had taken it upon herself to watch over the three teens, she had quickly found that just food simply wasn't enough. Even though they lived on the streets, they always tried to have some money in their possession, especially after Angel had joined them almost five months ago, when Zoe had found the pregnant teen on the streets, hiding from her parents who wanted to force her to have an abortion.

Now, Jasmine did her best to ensure that if any emergency arose, that they had a few options on how to deal with it. They didn't yet have a permanent safe place to live, but at least they tried to have enough money to go to a laundromat once a week, replenish their first aid kit and pick up some vitamins and other things that Angel needed during her pregnancy. And that didn't include the motel room Jaz rented once a month so that they could all sleep in a warm bed without the need of taking turns keeping watch during the night.

 _If I hadn't busted my arm, we wouldn't need to do such a risky thing as to steal money... My mutant genes let me heal faster than a human, but it'll still be another week until I'm healed enough to get this damned cast off..._ Sighing under her breath, she shook her head and gazed over at the three girls who were dividing up the food she had managed to grab, the scent of bread and fruit assaulting her heightened senses.

Catalina was the youngest of the group, at an age of fifteen. She was mute, unable or perhaps merely unwilling to speak. She communicated through soft sounds, whistles and sign language, something that she had taught to the others in their group. Jaz remembered when she had found the young girl, remembered how those odd purple eyes had reached through to her soul and cracked the shell that she had spent so many years building in order to bury her feelings.

Catalina had been the first she had taken in under her wing, as it were. The girl hadn't even reached puberty yet when Jasmine had saved her from a rapist, and she had been dreadfully filthy and malnourished. After three years, Cat had managed to blossom into a lovely young woman; long auburn hair hung past her shoulders, her skin healthy and unblemished, and while she was still thin - it was a hard thing to gain weight while you were on the streets - she no longer appeared sickly. Her attitude had done a one-eighty too. Instead of the frightened little girl that Jaz had found in that alley, there was now a confident, mischivous, intelligent, young woman.

It had been Cat that had insisted that they help Zoe, and since Jasmine had developed a weakness to the teen's doe-eyed look, she had given in. Zoe had run away from a horrible home life and several failed foster homes. They had butted heads at first- both she and Zoe were hard headed and stubborn, not to mention fighters. Jaz, with her wolf instincts, had never thought that a human would have the same Alpha mindset. It had taken almost a month for them to come to the realization that they were a lot alike and had called a truce, recognizing that they would be stronger working together instead of trying to take each other out.

Angel was a whole different matter. Being on the streets and pregnant was a dangerous and usually fatal thing. There were so many freaks and other dangerous personalities out there that when Zoe had told her about the sixteen year old, she had immediately sent Zee out to find and bring the girl to her. Ever since Cat had come into her life, Jasmine often found herself doing things that she would have never even thought about.

"You're brooding again," Angel announced as she carefully lowered herself onto the couch next to the pensive woman, smirking at the odd look Jaz gave her. "Stop worrying so much. Those pretty eyes of yours lose that lovely shine when you do."

Jaz wrinkled her nose. "Isn't that a pick-up line?"

"You know what I mean!"

"I know," she smiled, reaching out to tuck one of the long side locks of brilliant red hair behind Angel's left ear. "So, how's the pup?"

"Active. He, or she, has taken a liking to tenderising my kidneys." Angel slid a hand over her belly, smiling contentedly when she felt a gentle kick against the palm of her hand. "But it's better than when I get sharp kicks to my bladder."

"Ouch."

"It's not the ouch, it's the desperate dashes to the bathroom that gets me. Oh! Wanna feel the baby kick?" Not waiting for an answer, Angel grabbed one of Jasmine's hands and held it against her stomach, smiling when the woman's green eyes lit up in quiet wonder upon feeling the evidence of the tiny life within. "I'm going to have to think about names soon."

"I, personally, think Zoe is a perfect name," Zee announced as she joined them, handing Angel a paper plate that had cut up apples, oranges, grapefruit, kiwi's, cheese and bread.

"You're a little biased, aren't you?" Jaz grinned, chuckling at the cheeky look Zoe gave her. "Did you give Angel half of my share?"

"Yes, oh stubborn one," Zoe replied as Cat walked over to the midnight-haired 'leader' of the group and sat on the floor facing her. "By the way, when did you want to head for the next safehouse?"

- _I think we should split up,_ \- Cat signed. -Angel and I can head for the abandoned building we checked out last week, while you and Jaz 'obtain' the money.-

Jaz frowned. "I don't know..."

"Well, what about this," Zee interupted as she headed back to the rickety card table. "You go stake-out the store, and I'll bring Cat and Angel to the building, then double-back to meet you."

Cat snapped her fingers to get the other's attention. - _Besides, Angel and I still have those handguns we got from one of the the fighting matches._ \- When Jasmine looked like she was going to protest, the teen shook her head and continued. - _I know you don't like guns, Jaz. Neither do I. But neither Angel or I can fight like you and Zoe can. And with Angel almost seven month's pregnant, she can't run. Those two guns are the only way for us to defend ourselves_.-

A low sigh escaped Jaz's lips as she ran a hand through her hair, grumbling when a talon got caught in the long locks. "I know. There's just so much that can go wrong..."

"You can't be everywhere at once," Angel chastised her, shaking a piece of apple at her. "Cat and I know how to handle guns. Besides,we'd just slow you down and distract you. We can handle ourselves."

"I know you can. It's just..."

- _You worry._ \- When Jaz sent a mock glare at her, Cat grinned. - _Just because you refuse to admit it doesn't mean it isn't true._ -

"Traitor," she retorted lightly as Zoe wandered back to them and handed a plate to her. "Thanks, Zee." It didn't take her long to inhale her meal, and when her stomach growled for more, she stubbornly squashed it's requests. She could go days without food, this time was no exception. "Alright. Considering how stubborn we all are, here's the plan for tomorrow."

tbc


	2. Chapter 2

Zoe grunted as she clamboured up a rusted fire escape ladder, wincing when the rough metal threatened to cut into the skin of her palms. Her rollerblades bounced against her back from where they were hanging from the backpack she wore. Knowing that today was going to be a day of exertion and danger, she had forgoed the usual baggy jeans she wore, choosing instead to don tight multi-patched blue jeans, two tank tops and an old jean jacket. Hidden in said jacket were a pair of switchblades and the third and last of their guns. While Jaz may have abhored them and been strong and fast enough to be confident in a fight without one, Zoe knew damned well that she was not as capable as the mutant.

Luckily, both of them could focus on their job today. She had guided Catalina and Angel to their newest safehouse and spent a good hour making sure that it was as secure as she could make it. The abandoned apartment building was horrible on the first few floors, but luckily, the fifth and highest floor was still relatively clean. The only entrance to the entire building was through a small opening in a side door, and even then, that side door was impossible to get through if you didn't know the combination to the lock she had placed there that morning. Exits, however, numbered two. One on the roof, where the door was locked from the inside, and one in the basement, where they could escape into the storm sewers if the need arose.

A welcome burst of wind ruffled her wild hair as she reached the roof, grunting softly as she pulled herself over the edge and sat on the raised ledge, pausing to rest for a moment before she stood and walked over to the form that was sitting nearby, sharpening some throwing stars on a piece of broken brick. "Hey."

"Hey." Jasmine motioned for Zoe to sit next to her as she started replacing the stars into the pouches in her jacket. "How'd it go?"

"Perfectly. They're settled in and as safe as I could make them. Gave Angel our bags; told her that if she started to get a chill again to put on any of our clothes that she wanted."

"Good." Angel had gotten a severe cold the month before and it had left her weakened in it's wake. They had spent a large chunk of their money bringing her to a clinic to get her and her unborn baby checked over. Luckily, nothing serious had come from it, but it had left Jasmine, Cat and Zoe shaken in the emergency's aftermath. The three had taken an oath to keep Angel as healthy as they could, forgoing some of their own needs in the goal of giving Angel and her child as much nutrition, safety and warmth as they could.

Thus, despite her dislike of guns, Jasmine had taken the time to teach Cat and Angel how to clean, aim, reload and fire a handgun. She had also included a few tips about bladed weapons. Even Zoe had to admit that the mutant knew a frightening amount of different ways of hurting or killing someone. It made the group wonder how bad Jaz's life on the streets had been, and how she had learned everything that she knew.

It had appalled her the first time Jaz had told them about the underground fighting ring, where 'contestants' fought until only one remained conscious, whereupon the survivor would win all the money that had been bet against them. Even when Jasmine ambushed small groups of various gang members to steal their money, weapons, clothing and assorted 'bling-blings', it still made her very uneasy. What she was most worried about was that one day, Jaz would take part in a fight and lose her life, and then where would she, Cat and Angel be?

Really, though, Zoe figured that Jasmine could take care of herself. The dark-haired woman was a mutant after all. In truth, Jaz was more wolf than human. While Jasmine had never really told them the full details about her old life, she had revealed that she had been born as a wolf in Yellowstone Park. She had lived there in one of the large wolf packs for over a decade before her mutation had surfaced, and Jaz had first Shifted into her human form.

That was where Jaz's history became sketchy. She had never told them the full story behind why she had left Yellowstone; only that something had happened to her Pack that had left her alone. The mutant had spent a few years wandering around central and western United States, in a sort of emotional shock at the loss of the only family she had known, and had come to San Francisco to see the ocean before she killed herself.

But it was then that Jasmine had almost literally stumbled upon Catalina, and had saved her from a rapist. The wolf in her had seen something in Cat, and in a way, Jasmine had adopted Cat as her own daughter.

"Zoe!"

Blinking, the teen shook herself and looked over at Jaz, who was eyeing her worriedly. "Huh?"

"Where'd you go?" Jasmine frowned, her eyes a soft green of concern. "You looked like you were a hundred miles away."

The heat of a blush consumed her face as she glanced away in embarrassment, one hand rising to run through her hair. "Sorry. My mind slipped."

One of Jaz's eyebrows arched up towards her hairline, a snarky comment dancing along her lips for a moment before she chuckled and let it go, shaking long bangs out of her eyes as she put the last of her throwing stars away. "Just don't 'slip' while we're running for our lives, hmm?"

"Yes ma'am!" Grinning, Zoe mock saluted, then dropped down next to her friend and tilted her head back to look at the cloudy sky. "It's almost time."

"I know. I'll take the backpack with your shoes." Smiling slightly as her anticipation grew, Jaz looked down at her left arm, admiring the drawing that Cat had finished the night before. Her cast was decorated with heavily detailed black tribal markings that curled around her arm, the edges of the drawings looking as if they were confined to the cast and were trying to take over her entire arm. Inlaid in the markings was the word 'Stray', the name that Jasmine had gone by before she'd met Cat, the young teen having 'named' her.

Catalina had certainly outdone herself. If life hadn't turned out the way it had, Jaz imagined that the young woman would have been able to make a living doing what she loved best - drawing.

"Wow," Zoe whispered upon seeing the image on Jaz' cast. "That's amazing. Maybe I'll have her design a tattoo for me one day."

"I know. She's getting very good," she said proudly as she sat up straight and unrolled her sleeves, pulling them down and making sure that her cast was hidden, not wanting anyone to identify her by the unique image on it. Wanting to make sure her long hair, that usually hung down past her shoulders in a mess of perpetual curls, wouldn't get in the way, she reached up and tied her wild hair into a messy pony-tail, using a few extra bobby-pins to keep her bangs out of her eyes. "You'd better give your 'blades a quick once-over, Zee. When you're done, we should move down to the alley."

Nodding, Zoe untied her roller blades from her backpack and set them in front of her, glancing over at Jaz as the woman got to her feet and did a small series of stretches, wincing every so often when she jarred her broken arm. _Stubborn..._ Shaking her head in mild amusement, she turned her attention to her roller blades, letting her fingers and her gaze inspect everything from the wheels to the straps that would hold her feet in place.

She'd need her 'blades to be in perfect condition; it was the only way she'd be able to keep up with Jasmine. The mutant was _fast_.

When she was satisfied that the 'blades wouldn't break during what was probably going to be a hectic hour or so, she pushed herself to her feet and looked over at Jasmine, who had moved to the edge of the roof and was looking down at the store across the street. As always, when a potential fight was in the future, Jaz' eyes had lost the green in them, the amber and gold taking over until all that remained were metallic pools that held just a tint of feralness to them.

Those eyes turned onto her then, and Zoe couldn't quite stop a shiver from traveling up her spine as she met the mutant's gaze. She didn't even want to think about what her friend had seen or done that would have resulted in the look in her eyes. "Good to go?"

"Yup!"

Even though the cheerful tone didn't reach her eyes, Zoe knew that Jaz would not only never hurt her, but that her friend would watch her back and protect her, no matter what happened. They had done things such as this before, mostly in grocery stores where one of them would distract the workers while the other shoved as much food into a bag as they could carry.

Zoe led the way down the fire escape's ladder, and even though she was being careful, one rough spot managed to score a shallow cut on her palm, drawing a curse from her as she hopped to the ground and wiped her hand on her jeans. It took only a minute for her to change into her roller blades, and she took a moment to put her sneakers into the backpack, smiling a little as her friend took the bag from her and slid her arms through the straps.

Taking a deep breath to calm her ragged nerves, Jaz, now in the mindset she always went into when a fight was imminent, moved to the entrance of the alley and watched the store front, feeling Zoe move to her side as she slipped her blue-tinted sunglasses on, obscuring the wolf gold of her eyes. "Get ready. When he comes out, we hit him together. You distract, I'll get the money pouch."

"Right." Her heartbeat was rising along with her anticipation, and Zoe struggled not to jump the gun, seeing Jaz's shoulders tense as the shop owner calmly stepped out of his store, pausing at the doorway to call back instructions to the employees still within. A low rumble made her glance at Jasmine, smirking a little when she saw the woman's shoulders move, muscles gliding under her skin, as if she was a cat getting ready to pounce. As the shop-keep started his way down the street, they both edged out of the alley, waiting for him to reach a point far enough away so that they could reach a good velocity before hitting him.

Jaz held her breath for a few moments, arguing with her conscience as she did so. She never liked stealing money, but things were getting desperate. They needed to take care of Angel, there was so much she needed to keep herself and her baby healthy, and Cat was still a growing teenager. _Stop it. We need the money, so quit hesitating and do what needs to be done._

Finally, she judged that the situation was as good as it was going to get, rising her hand to gesture to Zoe as she pushed away from the wall and ran after the store owner. Her accomplice matched her speed, the roller blades allowing the teen to keep perfect pace with her, and after a mutual sign language message of 'good luck', they crossed the point of no return.

As Zoe barrelled headlong into the man, Jaz ducked and came in low, hitting him mid-back with her shoulder. Like they had rehearsed, Zoe caught the shopkeep and started to apologise in an almost hysterical voice, distracting him long enough for Jaz to raise her right hand and use a talon to sever the rope that linked the money pouch to the man's left wrist.

Before he could sound the alarm, Zoe headbutted him, dropped him onto a bench and took off after Jasmine, the two of them weaving through traffic in a grand display of agility mixed with a pinch of insanity. They were almost two blocks away when they heard the first yells of alarm, the sound spurring them onwards as they cut through three lanes of jammed traffic and careened around a corner, weaving in a criss-cross pattern to baffle any pursuit as they moved helter-skelter through the streets.

Fifteen blocks later, Jaz skidded to a stop, looking over at a slightly winded Zoe and smirking. "I think we made it."

"Sweet." Grinning, Zoe exchanged high-fives with her friend, then took the money pouch from her and relocated it into the main part of Jaz's backpack, shoving it under the her pair of shoes for good measure. "Done. Let's keep going."

Ignoring the growing ache in her left arm, Jaz followed Zee down the street, knowing that they had to keep moving in case the police were coming for them. It had happened once before when they had stolen some food. When they burst out of the store they had robbed, they had nearly plowed into a cop car that had been parked outside, the two officers within only too happy to cut their coffee-break short as they chased them through San Francisco.

She only hoped that this time, things would go more smoothly. She wasn't naive enough to think that just because they were a fair ways away that pursuit was out of the question. Already, she could just barely hear sirens in the not-so-far-distance, and the sound made her pick up the pace, gliding past Zoe as the red-head glanced back at her curiously. "Let's cut through the park. Cheap cop cars can't get a lot of traction on the soil."

Nodding in agreement, Zoe did her best to keep pace as Jaz picked up speed. They took a haphazard route to the park, weaving through the streets in a pattern that almost made her dizzy when she tried to pinpoint where they were in her mind's eye. Oddly, Jasmine never faltered, somehow knowing which way the park was despite the baffling numbers of turns and double-backs that they did.

"Do you actually know where you're going?" she asked as they went around yet another corner and cut through an alley. "Because not only am I completely confused, I've got a headache trying to figure out where we are."

Jaz laughed. "I always know where I'm going. Two blocks more, we'll hang a right, then it's five blocks straight to the park."

"I'll never understand your sense of direction. It's like you've got a built in auto-pilot or something."

"Kinda like your freaky ability to always hit a target when you're firing a gun?"

"Touché." Grinning, Zoe put on a bit more speed, starting to feel a sense of giddiness overcoming her. "Just a warning, I might break out into semi-hysterical giggles soon."

A knowing look darkened the gold and amber in Jasmine's eyes, and despite the part of her that wanted to agree, she didn't want to lose her grip on harsh reality. "Not just yet, Zee. We still have a ways before we're _really_ saf... Oh, shit."

Flailing, Zoe barely managed to stop before she ran into her friend, her heart in her throat as she peered over the other woman's shoulder, feeling her stomach bottom out when she spotted what had caused Jasmine to stop so suddenly. Two police cars, lights flashing and doors open, the four cops crouched behind the doors with their revolvers drawn. _Oh shit indeed..._

"Hands in the air! Now!"

Jaz tensed, a low growl rising in her throat as she inched in front of Zoe. "Zee," she whispered, her voice low. "The alley behind us. Meet up at the Golden Gate Park's Japanese Garden. Go."

"But-"

" _Now!_ "

The feral tone to Jaz' voice made her jump, and when her feet touched ground again, she was gone. Yells and gunshots from behind her boosted her adrenaline up from 'scared' to 'panicked', so that now her blades were barely touching pavement as Zoe shot through the alley, stretched out an arm to snag a signpost and turned in a sharp arch to shoot down the street, arms pinwheeling as she skidded to a stop at the intersection across from where the police were shouting.

Catching a brief glimpse of Jasmine as her friend rolled over the hood of a cop car while bashing one of her feet into the chest of an officer lessened the fear she felt for the mutant, and she allowed herself a brief sigh of relief before she pushed off with her left foot and soared through the traffic, gritting her teeth when a police cruiser screeched onto the street she was on.

Barely managing to hold back a yelp, she threw herself into oncoming traffic, ignoring the loud blasts of various car horns as she cut across the busy lane and continued on through a slew of side streets, twisting and turning throughout the city in a wild pattern of randomness. Luckily for her, she knew that the police weren't able to follow her rather insane path as she chose one street, traveled down it for a few blocks, turned left, backtracked three blocks, cut across three other streets via alleyways, and then pausing at a street corner to get her bearings before setting off again.

She only prayed that Jasmine was just as lucky as she was.

tbc


	3. Chapter 3

_Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!_ The sirens behind her almost drowned out her internal litany as Jaz bolted down the street, trying to do her best to keep ahead of the cruisers that were trying to box her in. Already there was a car behind her and two to either side. With them so close, she couldn't head anywhere except straight ahead, and although she knew of a way to get the upper hand, she knew that it was going to hurt. No pain, no gain, my ass!

Bracing herself, she kept straight for a few more meters, then violently veered right, making sure to shield her broken arm as she hit the front side of the cruiser and rolled across it's hood, barely managing to land on her feet on the other side of it. Snarling at the cops, she backtracked and bolted across an intersection, hearing dozen's of angry motorists screaming at both her and the police as she ducked into an alley, leapt up, and closed her hands on the railing of a set of fire-escape stairs.

Gasping for breath, she shakily headed to the roof. It was one of those times where she was extraordinarily glad to be a mutant. Having the agility, balance and strength of a wolf made sure she had the stamina to out run almost any kind of pursuit.

Shouts from the alley below and the sounds of footsteps on the fire-escape made her hackles rise, her wolf rising in her in warning. Knowing that she was trapped, she sent a brief prayer to any Gods that might be listening, then launched herself forward, building up as much speed as she could before she leapt.

There was a heartbeat where she thought she wouldn't make it to the next roof. That she'd miss the ledge and plundge down to the street below - not a fatal fall for her, but definitely a painful one. But the prayer must have turned things in her favour, for, instead of falling, she merely clipped the edge of the next roof with her right foot and faceplanted herself onto the gritty rooftop.

"Ow."

With a groan, Jasmine slowly forced herself to her feet again, swaying unsteadily as she wobbled over to the rooftop access door and clung to it for a moment. When the world stopped spinning, she manhandled the door open and slid inside, closing the door behind her. _Oh my aching everything..._ Shaking her head at her own stupidity, she dashed down the row of stairs, a sigh of relief leaving her when she reached a floor that had elevator access. _My poor nose! I smooshed it._

An off-tone chime announced the arrival of the elevator, and she sighed in relief as the doors slid open, the tinny sound of the 'Bewitched' song filling the odd smelling box as she stepped in and punched the button for the garage. While the elevator made it's way to the bowels of the building, she looked at herself in a cracked mirror, lightly poking at the bridge of her nose and blinking when said part of her face didn't fall off. Obviously, it felt worse than it was, because she never would have been able to prod it if it had been broken.

Hoping that she wouldn't get any bruises on her face, she rolled up the long sleeves of her shirt in the hopes that it would help her cool off, then spent a few more moments tucking odd wild spikes of her hair behind her ears.

A world shaking 'clunk', sounding far too much like the last nail in a coffin, echoed through the elevator as it finally came to a shuddering stop, opening up at the underground garage. The smell of damp air and exhaust fumes was a welcome change from whatever-the-hell that smell had been in the elevator, and she allowed herself a sigh of relief as she cautiously stepped out into the dank parking lot.

The sound of sirens was still too close for comfort, but even below street level, she could tell that the sirens were behind her. Knowing that she had to get out of the area as soon as possible, she jogged up the first ramp that lead up to the streets and moved out into open air. She did her best not to look too paranoid as she checked the street she was on for any police, hoping that the crowd that was gathering because of the sirens would make enough of a distraction that she'd be able to get away. _All this for a few thousand dollars!_

Wondering what in the world had brought on such an intense response, she made her way towards the park once again, putting as much distance between the epicenter of the ruckus and herself. Something just didn't make sense to her. Why had the police come in such a huge force for a simple robbery of such a small store? And better yet, how had they been able to get there so quickly? She and Zoe had made sure to pull their stunt during a time where the street would be clogged with traffic, making it harder for police cruisers to get through. _So how the hell...?_

Troubled, she didn't notice the figure that had purposefully stepped into her way, didn't think anything of it as she, in her 'autopilot' mindset, automatically sidestepped around him and then kept going down the street. Granted, she would have enjoyed the rather baffled look the man gave her as she past him, muttering to herself as she tried in vain to reach an itch underneath her cast, completely lost in her thoughts.

 _It just doesn't make sense. Why would Zoe and I have attracted such an aggressive response? It's not like we robbed him at gun point. Hell, we even did our best not to hurt him!_ Shaking her head, she stopped at a street corner and waited for the crosswalk sign to change, taking the opportunity to rouse herself from her thoughts in order to take a look around, trying to spot any signs of potential pursuit. Considering how overkill the response had been, she didn't want to take any chances. The last thing she wanted was to turn a corner and come face to face with the barrel of a shotgun.

The signal changed, and she waited as a car ran the red light before crossing the street. Now that she was trying to act 'natural' she wasn't about to go crazy and run through traffic like a maniac. Still, her wolf itched to run and bolt through the city. She was worried about Zoe, and she wanted to rejoin her as soon as possible. She didn't think that the police had gone after her, Jaz doubted that they had even seen her, but she was worried just the same. She felt responsible for her little Pack. After all, the money she had taken the risk of stealing certainly wasn't going to be spent on her.

She let herself go back into her auto-pilot mode as she reached up and ran her hands through her hair, sighing tiredly as she headed for the Park, knowing that once she was off the streets, she'd be free to cut loose. The constant dull roar of traffic started to lessen the closer she got to the Park, and it was a welcome change. While she had been on the streets of San Francisco for over four years, she never really got used to the constant noise of the city.

Almost every week, she and the others went to the Golden Gate Park for some downtime, sitting in the sun in the middle of a small circle of trees by one of the many ponds was the most relaxing thing she knew of. She always found time to visit the Park, needing the scent and tranquility of nature to recharge her.

The Japanese Garden, when she reached it, was as beautiful and as peaceful as ever, and just looking at it eased some of the tension she felt. Sighing, she paused at the entrance and pressed both hands against the small of her back, pushing against her spine to try to relieve the tension there. Everything had gone ot hell, and it had her hackles up, the stress knotting her muscles.

Sighing again, she headed into the Garden, keeping as quiet as she could when she saw a few people meditating. Luckily, she knew where Zoe would be waiting for her, in a small hidden niche of the garden, where they could gather there and spend some quiet time, imagining that they weren't living on the streets, that they didn't have to go back to a cold abandoned building and eat stolen food in order to survive.

Pushing those thoughts from her mind, she moved around a large Japanese Maple and pushed through some bushes, moving over to a large Koi pond, her gaze darting around the small clearing as she looked for her friend. _Oh hells, what if the cops got her?_ "Zee? Zoe?"

A rustle of leaves preceeded the flame-haired head that poked out of he bush, brown eyes filling up with relief as Zoe launched herself out at her. "Jaz! Oh thank _God!_ "

Grinning, Jasmine returned the hug, then held Zoe at arms length. "I'm glad to see you too. I was afraid that those cops had seen you."

" _Me?!_ Hell, last I saw, you were rolling over the hood of a car and kicking a cop in the chest! How'd you get away? Wait... I don't want to know, do I?"

"Not really, no." Grimacing, Jaz slid the backpack off her shoulders, her cast encased arm aching a little and making her gingerly flex her fingers. Zoe took the opportunity to snatch up her backpack, and Jaz arched a black eyebrow at her friend curiously.

"Hey, you carried it this far. It's only fair," Zee smirked as she slid her arms through the straps and adjusted them so they wouldn't cut into her shoulders. "We should get moving. Cat and Angel are probably worried."

Jasmine rolled her eyes. "They _always_ worry."

"Not that you can blame them. Not after last week."

"I know. I _know_. But I couldn't let those thugs get their hands on Angel." Sighing, she folded her arms over her chest and turned to glare down into the Koi pond, frowning at her reflection. The wolf inside her wanted nothing more than to snatch up one of those fish and fill her empty belly, but Jaz stubbornly shoved it down. "Besides, it's not like I was going to _lose_."

"Hello? They broke your arm! You have to wear that cast for weeks!"

"I heal fast. If they had gotten their hands on Angel... I don't even want to think about it."

Zoe fell silent at that. "I know. Still. You scared us."

"...sorry."

The shadows in the mutant's eyes made Zoe smile at her in an attempt to calm the moody wolf. "Forgiven. C'mon. Let's go."

"We're afraid we can't let you do that."

Jasmine spun at the voice, shoving Zoe behind her as she did so. Almost instantly, her right hand darted into her jeans pocket, three throwing knives glinting in the sunlight as she pulled them out of their hiding place. Her narrowed eyes were fixed on the man in front of her, a low feral growl leaving her as she studied him. Over six feet tall, piercing blue eyes and unkempt looking reddish blond hair. A rather plain looking outfit of a tee-shirt and jeans did nothing to hide his body-builder's physique, and he certainly looked like he had been in his fair share of fights.

His scent wafted over to her on the breeze, her heartbeat speeding up a little in recognition: he'd been the one who'd stepped into her path back in the city!

 _Damn. He looks like he could bench-press a Volvo..._ Ready to throw her meagre weapons at a moment's notice, Jaz started backing away, pushing Zoe behind her as she went. She knew the layout of the Japanese Garden, and she knew that just behind the line of bushes she was ushering Zee towards was a grassy hill that lead to a paved pathway.

Knowing that she had to keep Zoe out of the fight as well as distract whoever-the-hell this guy was so the teen could make a run for it, she continued pushing Zoe back, her eyes never leaving those of the stranger before her. _Forgive me, Zee._

With a snarl, she threw the knives, turning with the motion to shove Zoe through the bushes and wincing as she listened to the girl curse as she rolled down the hill. Gritting her fangs, knowing that Zee needed time to get away, Jaz faced the stranger again, another batch of throwing knives already gripped in her hand.

But what she faced now wasn't the stranger she had expected. Now, she was looking at a being that she had only heard tales of before.

Venom.

Blackness now covered the man, tendrils of it writhing as the living alien finished it's transformation. A stylized white spider emblem appearing on his chest as pale 'eyes' fell on her, a tongue that was far too long curling out from a mouth that had rows of wicked fangs. The muscles he had had as a human were even more pronounced now that the alien had moulded itself to his body. This was a predator. A predator on equal footing with her.

Dark tendrils held her throwing knives in the air as a low, inhuman chuckle rumbled out of the massive form. "We believe these belong to you."

The voice, while human-like, was predatory, cool, and hungry. Contrary to his size, he moved with a fluid grace that almost rivalled her own movements, and she found herself taking a step backwards in reaction to his advance.

At the moment, she wanted nothing else than to fling herself down the hill after Zoe.

Instead, knowing that she had to lead this horror away, distract him from Zoe's escape, Jaz threw her next volley of throwing stars, and, in the same movement, spun around and launched herself over a bench. Fantastic balance allowed her to land perfectly, her sneakers seeking and finding traction in the rough dirt walkway, allowing her to dodge the ebony talons that reached for her as Venom bounded into her path.

Adrenaline flooded her as she released her strict control over her wolf. Her senses of sight, sound and smell sharpened, muscles tensing as her strength and agility tripled, her incisors growing until one fang constantly peeked out from between her lips. Her already long talons sharpened even more, lengthening until they were an inch long. Heat spread under her skin as her wolf came close to the surface and stretched, reveling in her partial freedom.

Snarling, she slashed her elongated talons across Venom's face, deliberately aiming for those pale eyes and back-flipping to avoid the left handed punch he blindly aimed at her as his other hand instinctively rose to his face. Able to tell by the low growl that rumbled out of that massive chest that she had managed to piss him off, she spun on her heel and bolted, tearing down the path that lead into the main section of the Golden Gate Park.

 _Well, I got his attention away from Zoe..._ Very aware of the annoyed pursuit behind her, she darted around a couple who were holding hands, wincing at the screams that came from them when they saw what was chasing her. _**Now**_ _what do I do with him?_

tbc


	4. Chapter 4

.

.

.

Her strides lengthened as she sped up, abandoning the Park pathways and instead flinging herself into the trees and underbrush, her wolf giving an internal howl of approval as she wove between the trees, effortlessly hopping over rocks and debris. She covered the length of two city blocks before she risked a quick glance behind her, her wolf rumbling in warning when she saw that Venom didn't seem to be following her anymore.

Sensing a trap, she skidded to a stop, eyes narrowing as she sniffed at the air. _Shit. Where is he?_ Her hearing strained to it's limits, her breathing completely silent as she let her wolf-gold gaze dart around her surroundings, still constantly testing the air around her for his scent.

A part of the tree to her left seemed to come alive and she flung herself away from it with a yip of surprise, barely managing to dodge the camouflaged, invisible, form that attempted to tackle her, then vanished back into the underbrush when the ambush failed.

Shaking, she landed on all fours and checked the air again, a feral grin spreading over her lips when she finally caught his odd scent. With a smug rumble, she threw her last three throwing stars into the canopy of the nearest tree, her keen hearing picking up the annoyed hiss as the sharp weapons made contact, and she allowed herself a brief burst of pride before she took off again.

"You can't run from us forever!"

"I can damn well try!" The snarl passed her lips as she gave her pursuer the finger then flung herself through another bush, frowning a little when she burst out onto a paved skateboard park. While a part of her mourned the lack of trees, the other part of her took rapid stock of her new surroundings before leaping across the span of a huge half-pipe, sneakers finding purchase as she landed on the other side, never breaking her stride.

She knew by memory that there was a parking lot nearby, and from there, she would be able to sprint the last five blocks before reaching the city's largest public library. Hopefully, she'd be able to hide within the library, long enough to catch her breath at least. _I need time to regroup. I have to figure out how to lose him, 'cause there's no way in hell that I'm going to risk leading him back to my Pack!_

The wind shifted as she ran, and a quick glance behind her confirmed her error. While the parking lot meant that Venom was unable to track her from the trees, the open space allowed him to make use of his webbing, pulling a curse from her as she poured on the speed, very aware that he could websling as fast as she could run.

She was rapidly running out of parking lot, and Venom seemed immune against any sort of exhaustion. For the first time in her life, the sound of heavy traffic was a relief that was almost palpable. A quick glance behind her warned her in time for her to throw herself to the side, barely avoiding her pursuer as he shot a webline at her. _Just five blocks to the Library..._

Blaring horns and the screech of tires sounded around her as she slid across the hood of a parked car and darted into traffic, ignoring the negative crosswalk signals as she wove helter-skelter through the intersection. _Four blocks..._ Pedestrians moved out of her way as she bolted down the sidewalk, the screams of fright that sounded moments later a harsh reminder of why she couldn't afford to slow down. Instead, she cut through an alleyway, flinging a garbage can behind her when a shadow alerted her that Venom was getting closer to her than she liked. _Three..._

But she had to admit, a small part of her was enjoying the run. It was so rare that she allowed herself to cut loose, and her wolf was drinking in every moment of it. Granted, it would have been better if she wasn't running for her life from a predator that posed a real threat to her continued existence, but her wolf knew better than to be so nitpicky.

 _Two._ Her heart soared when she spotted the distant stairs that led into the Library, and she allowed herself a brief smile as she put on a bit more speed, vaulting over a shocked skateboarder with a shout of apology and landing on the roof of a cab. Ignoring the curses from the driver, she hopped up onto a bus and turned to look behind her, grumbling in annoyance when Venom swung out over the traffic, did a mid-air flip, and flung himself towards her with a roar of anger.

"This just isn't my day," Jaz muttered under her breath as she leapt from the bus, eyes widening in horror when a webline wrapped around her left arm, clinging to her cast. Realising that she was in serious trouble, she rose her right hand and sunk her talons into the webbing, tearing at it and wrenching herself free, a howl of pain leaving her as white hot agony spread through her broken arm.

Instinct made her twist to land on her feet, a blare from a horn making her look up to stare at the grill of an oncoming car, the sight sending her rolling to the sidewalk and growling under her breath as the car sped by, unconcerned about the person they had almost hit. Too close. Knowing that Venom wasn't far away, she scrambled to her feet and bolted for the stairs that led up into the Library, taking them two at a time and shouldering the door open hard enough that it banged against the wall.

Apologizing to the Librarian for the rude entrance, she hurried past the reception desk and headed into the stacks, the scent of the books easing her anxiety as she wove her way through the bookcases and headed up the back staircase to the second, and then the third floor. By the time she had found herself a quiet corner deep within the stacks, her breath was leaving her in barely muffled whimpers.

Knowing that she had to do something to support her aching arm, she sank down onto the floor and carefully shucked out of her jacket, hissing in pain as she set it aside, then tugged one of her two tank tops off. After carefully putting her jacket back on, she used her teeth and good hand to rip her sacrificed tank top into one thick strip, then fashioned it into a sling and looped it over her neck.

The result wasn't the greatest looking thing, but until she could think of something better, it would have to do. Sighing, she slid her throbbing left arm into the improvised support, adjusted it so that the sling wasn't cutting into the side of her neck, then leaned back against the bookshelf and wearily closed her eyes. _Ow. Geez. And I thought my arm hurt a lot when the break was fresh._

She sat in silence for a few minutes, taking advantage of her current solitude to turn her full concentration towards her appearance. Slowly, she felt the wolf's influence dim; her talons shortened back into something more humanesque, fangs shrinking, senses dulling a little as her boost of strength waned, leaving her feeling trapped in her own body once again. Her wolf grumbled, echoing her unease, and Jasmine stubbornly shoved her rising anxiety aside. This wasn't the time or the place for her to dwell on how much she hated having to hide who and what she truly was in order to walk among the 'normal' human population.

Growling softly, she got to her feet and headed towards the elevators, knowing that there was a women's bathroom in that vicinity. _I still have to figure out how I'm going to ditch Venom_ , she mused as she toed the bathroom door open and headed for one of the sinks. _I'm not stupid enough to believe that he didn't follow me into the Library. All he has to do is watch the entrance and wait for me to try to make a break for it. So what does that leave me?_

Sighing, she spun the cold water tap on and, once she had carefully eased her arm out of the sling, drank water out of her cupped hands. After washing her face, she rose her gaze to the huge mirror, grimacing tiredly. I look like shit. She spent a few moments fidgeting, trying to tuck some errant lengths of curls back into her ponytail before giving up and yanking the elastic out of her hair, slipping it onto her right wrist before wetting some of the locks in an attempt to keep the worst of her hair out of her face.

With her hair down, it changed her appearance somewhat, and while it probably wouldn't fool Venom, it might be enough to confuse any eyewitnesses that had seen her hurried entrance into the Library. _Dammit, I should have kept my backpack. I could have stuffed my jacket into it and changed into the extra t-shirt I carry around for emergencies._

Another sigh left her as she silently exited the bathroom, pausing just outside of it to delicately sniff the air, frowning when she caught a slight hint of Venom's scent. He wasn't on her floor yet, but the fact that his scent, however weak, was being circulated through the air vents told her that he was definitely in the building.

She went back into the stacks and wove through them until she had a good view of the stairs and elevators; the only way anyone could reach the third floor. While she still had to figure out how to escape without getting caught, at least she would be able to see everyone who came and went. Not wanting to seem out of place, she chose a spot amongst the bookcases where she could see the elevators and yet still be hidden from view, then sat down onto the floor and blindly pulled a book from the shelf, one black eyebrow arching upwards when she saw that the book she had chosen was about wolves.

Despite her situation, the coincidence of her picking that specific book made her smile, and she allowed herself a few seconds of looking through the book before she turned her mind back to the problem at hand.

 _I don't like the options I have_ , she mused, managing to keep an eye on the stairs and elevators while making it look like she was reading the book on her lap. _I might have bought myself a little respite, but I've also backed myself into a corner. On one hand, from everything I've heard about Venom, I doubt that he'll rip this Library apart while looking for me. But... why is he after me in the first place? He mostly goes after lowlifes and muggers, or the rare crazy person that tries to destroy a large part of the populas. His hunting territory is usually centered on the Park. Is it possible that he saw Zoe and I snatch the money? But if he did, why did he wait until we reached the Park to confront us?_

Growling under her breath, she rose a hand and massaged her aching temple. _I have more questions than answers. Alright, let's focus on the matter at hand. How can I get out of here without Venom catching me? I could either wait until he starts searching the Library and sneak around him and run out the front door - which doesn't seem all that likely - or I can find another way out. There's no back doors, certainly none that don't have a fire alarm attached to them, so that leaves what? The roof? Or maybe I can go back to the second floor and jump out a window... it wouldn't be that far of a jump from the second floor, I can definitely make it._

An off-key chime drew her attention to the elevator, a low curse leaving her as she ducked behind a shelf, peering through the books at the familiar form that stepped out, suspicious blue eyes cutting across his surroundings. If he hadn't been attacking her just a little while ago, Jasmine would have been more open to admiring the fact that he was really rather handsome. For a human, anyway.

Shoving those thoughts aside, Jaz slid the book back into place and crept back into the safety of the stacks, keeping an eye on human-Venom via numerous glances through the bookcases. _Maybe I can circle around him and make it to the stairs..._ Nervously knawing on her lower lip, she headed to the far corner of the room and stuck to the wall as she circled around, making sure to stay in the protective maze of bookcases and out of sight.

Venom's odd scent told her that he was far too close for comfort, and she was debating making a run for it when a footstep from the other side of the bookcase she was next to made her drop into a crouch, her breath hitching in her throat as she froze in place, muscles tensing as she eyed the nearby door that lead to the stairwell.

A startled yip left her seconds later when an inky blackness shot out from between two books and made a grab at her. Her cover blown, she did the only thing she could do. She bolted. Her shoulder hit the staircase door hard enough that it banged against the wall, the thunderous sound echoing loudly. Cursing under her breath, she rushed down the stairs, leaping down each flight until she reached the main floor.

Instead of heading for the front doors, however, Jaz turned and flung herself into the closest row of stacks, using them for cover as she crouched low to the floor. Holding her breath, she watched as her male pursuer burst out of the stairwell, sharp blue gaze cutting across the library. She quickly ducked lower, practically moving on all fours as she silently crept deeper into the shelves.

There was an emergency exit at the rear of the building that led out into a back alley and Jaz knew that if she could manage to slide out unnoticed, there was a fantastic chance that she'd be able to get away. So, staying low, and using every ounce of stealth that she possessed, the mutant carefully made her way to the back of the library. She was constantly testing the air, desperately trying to keep tabs on Venom's location as she wove through the stacks. The last thing she wanted was for him to track her down again.

It took a ridiculously long time, and she was fairly twitching with anxiety by the end of it, but she finally managed to make it to the emergency exit. Keen eyes quickly darted over the door frame, her right hand brushing over the wall as she sent her wolf senses outwards. The scent of electricity and a low hum inaudible to human ears helped her locate the wire that connected the door to the alarm system.

With a quick glance to make sure that no one was looking, Jaz cracked the knuckles of her right hand, then slashed her talons across the wall. Her claws sliced through plaster, jiprock and wire alike, and she eyed the inch deep marks smugly as she shoved the door open and darted out into the alleyway - all in silence.

As soon as the door swung closed behind her, she was off, sneakers pounding against the pavement. Her broken arm sent sharp throbs of pain up her shoulder and across her chest, and it was only by sheer will that Jaz managed to keep herself from throwing up. Her wolf was bristling to the surface, boosting her strength and endurance and helping to raise her pain threshold to a point where the ache of her arm didn't even register.

Predatory golden wolf-eyes glared out from behind black bangs as the mutant lengthened her strides, putting on a new burst of speed as she exploded out onto the sidewalk, vaulted onto the roof of a parked car, and then launched herself into the air. She effortlessly cleared the busy street, landing in a crouch on the opposite sidewalk for a brief second before darting into another alley.

 _Gotta get some distance, fast. I'm not gonna be able to do that on the ground._ Her gaze locked onto a fire escape up ahead, and she mentally judged it's height before she gathered herself and leapt, right hand closing onto the edge of the lowest landing. The ten foot jump didn't faze her in the least, and she ignored her wolf's smugness as she scrambled up the rusted stairs.

As soon as Jaz reached the rooftop, a ocean scented breeze washed over her, flooding her senses with the relaxing smell. Mm. Gonna have to visit the beaches this week. But she couldn't afford to waste time, no matter how much she wished that she could.

Grumbling, and with her wolf giving a mental whine, Jasmine took a second to get her bearings, then headed south, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. It felt great to stretch her muscles, to give her wolf a bit of freedom as she loosened her strict control over her feral side. And while she ached to shed her human shape and shift into her wolf form, she couldn't afford the tax on her strength reserves. While the change would partially heal her broken arm, it would leave her weakened and starving; not to mention that the shift would destroy her clothes, and Jaz was well aware that she and her Pack didn't have enough clothes as it was.

So she pushed herself as much as she could, her rooftop race eating up the city blocks; taking every building as if they were nothing but stepping stones. It was only when she ran out of buildings, almost twenty minutes later, that Jaz stopped. Crouching on an access vent, she eyed the street that lay between her and the next rooftop she needed to get to. _Ugh. I can't jump that. M'gonna have to go streetside again._

With a sigh, Jaz readjusted the makeshift sling she wore, then shook her hair back into place. She was moments from going in search of a fire escape when the wind shifted, bringing her a very unwelcome scent. _Aw, bloody hell!_

She erupted into movement, leaping straight up and raising her casted arm to deflect a batch of webbing, the talons of her right hand quickly slicing through the line before Venom could literally yank her off balance. A boneless-looking mid-air twist let her land on a second roof vent, a feral snarl leaving her as she crouched there, golden eyes glaring at the large black and white form.

"You've certainly led us on a merry chase, haven't you?" Venom drawled, snake-like tongue licking at his fangs as he glared at the woman across from him, quirking a brow when she snarled angrily. "Ooh. Look at you. Scary."

Jaz rumbled low in her throat, eyes narrowing. Her voice, when she spoke, was an angry rasp, a growl heavily accenting her words. "You're one to talk," she sneered. "D'ya buy yer steroids in bulk, or d' you get a discount?"

"Funny girl." Hissing, Venom launched himself at her, talons grazing her ribs as she backflipped out of his reach. Symbiote tendrils lashed around her left ankle, and he grunted when she kicked him in the head with a strength that he hadn't been expecting. With a roar, he threw her at the roof vent, licking his fangs as he watched her bounce off of the dirty aluminium, her scream of pain making him grin. "Aw, did we hurt the little drug runner?"

Jaz clutched her broken arm to her side and glared at him through the curls of her hair. "What the fuck are you talking about?" Her wolf snarled and rose to the surface, heat blossoming over her skin as she rolled out of the way of another lunge, kicking him in the ribs in retaliation for the agony throbbing through her arm. She was at the edge, balancing precariously between her human and wolf form, adrenaline soaring through her veins, her wolf wanting nothing more than to rip into this being that had dared attack her.

Snarling, she went on the offensive. He might have been stronger, but Jaz had yet to fight anyone that was faster than her. She ran right at him, hopping over a backhand and kicking him in the head, twisting in the air to land on her feet before she darted in again and again. Her vision was going red, her fangs feeling too big for her mouth, talons thickening. But she couldn't let up; couldn't risk giving him a chance to retaliate. If he got a hand on her, she'd be finished.

So, she made sure to stay in motion, using every ounce of agility she possessed as she ducked and dodged, effortlessly dancing around his attacks as she put her talons to good use. The blackness that covered him constantly healed itself after every slice and gash that her claws left behind, making her attacks painful, but ultimately useless.

 _Gotta change tactics. This is getting me nowhere._ Tucking her broken arm close to her side, Jaz stepped out of range of a punch, the black fist passing only millimeters from her nose. She dodged a line of webbing, bounced off of a roof vent, then landed two consecutive kicks to his head, landing in a crouch before she gathered her strength and lunged at him. Her right elbow slammed into his stomach, a pained grunt leaving him before she gave him a savage uppercut to his jaw, snapping his head back with enough force to break off two of his vicious fangs.

Venom hit the rooftop and slid across it before whacking his head against the raised edge of it, the impact hard enough to daze him, despite the symbiote's protection. Groaning, he just managed to refocus his pale gaze in time to have a knee crash into his face, the back of his skull rebounding off the ledge with enough force to shatter the concrete.

"I don't know what your problem is," Jasmine snarled angrily, eyes narrowed into feral golden slits as she glared down at him, her fangs bared. "I am no drug runner. And I will not be your prey. Continue to hunt me, and I'll show you what a true predator is!"

A low, hissing chuckle was her reply. "Of course, you're dangerous," he smirked, still dazed from the hit. "If we're not careful, you'll bleed on us."

Her eyes narrowed. "Oh, go fornicate with an iron stick." With a final warning growl, she spun on her heel and bolted, an irritation rising in her when Venom snarled something rather uncomplimentary and gave chase. _Oh for the love of..._ Sighing, Jaz poured on the speed, her surroundings passing her in a blur as she ran. _I wonder if I asked really nicely, if the Universe would make everything go away._

Her wolf bristled at the notion of running, but she wasn't willing to see if she could hold up her threat. If she didn't have her Pack waiting for her, if she wasn't already hurt, tired and starving, then she would have happily backed up her bluff. But things weren't in her favor. So that left her with something inherent to every wolf. Cunning.

Venom was used to the usual run of the mill druggies, and the textbook do-gooder superheroes, but this woman, this _woman_ was something new. She wasn't human, that much was certain. Even the symbiote sensed something different about her; so she was probably a mutant. But she was _fast_. So much faster than any other being he had fought. He was quite capable of webslinging across blocks of San Francisco in mere seconds, but she was actually outpacing him. And she was on foot!

Even her strength had surprised him, especially since she looked like she was living on the streets. The cast on her arm could have been a fake, but the way she had been moving and favoring it meant that it probably wasn't a ruse. But _fast_. The symbiote hadn't even been able to see her move half of the time, even with it's otherworldly senses, and that was something that even Venom had to respect her for.

Jasmine's breath was coming in rapid pants as she pushed herself, pouring more of her waning strength into the breakneck speed she was struggling to maintain. _He's still following me! Damn. How can someone that muscled move so freaking fast?! That's just not fair. Bears can put on a burst of speed, but even they give up after a few miles. Why can't he?! So not fair._

Her sneakers scrambled for purchase on the loose gravel that covered a roof as she changed course, sliding around a rooftop access and hopping over a pigeon coop before she made the jump to the next building. There was a subway station a few blocks away. If she could get there, Jaz was fairly certain that she'd be able to lose Venom in the maze of tunnels.

Her plan, however, was thrown to the four winds when a web impacted against her back. A powerful yank literally pulled her off her feet, faceplanting her into the rooftop. She sunk the talons of her right hand into the gravel, trying to stop her motion as she was hauled backwards, trying to gain some sort of handhold, some sort of grip. _Oh, shit._

Growling, Venom slammed her up against the rooftop's access door, pressing his forearm against her throat as he pinned her there, symbiote tendrils restraining her legs when she tried to kick out at him. "What were you saying about showing us a true predator?" he sneered, snapping his fangs at her when she snarled at him, her fingers digging into the arm he was holding against her neck.

Jasmine glared, bristling, barely managing to hold back a whimper when he closed his free hand around her cast, squeezing powerfully. "If you're going to kill me, then kill me," she growled lowly, staring into the pale white pupilless eyes defiantly. "Don't waste my time boasting about it."

He frowned at her, surprised at her boldness. Even as he studied her, the symbiote was fluttering over his shoulders, curiosity peaked by the woman in front of him.

The arm across her throat pressed harder when she tried to struggle free, cutting off her air supply. She snarled and lashed out, a howl of pain leaving her when he twisted her broken arm. White hot agony overloaded her senses, threatening to knock her out, and she fought to cling to consciousness, a weak whine escaping her as more waves of pain bombarded her.

Surprised, because he hadn't meant to actually hurt her - not yet anyway - he leaned back, taking the pressure off her throat so she could breathe. As he moved, Venom let the curious symbiote extend a tendril to brush along the inside of her cast, searching for, and failing, to find any needle tracks, or hidden drugs. The pain the Other could sense from her was real, which meant that the cast wasn't a fake; and now, he had to wonder if he had just rebroken her arm.

"That. Fucking. Hurt." Jasmine muttered, her voice a rasp of pain. Then, as an afterthought, she added, "Asshole."

Venom frowned. "You're not a drug runner." It wasn't a question.

"Had t'almost rebreak my arm t' figure that out?!"

"We thought it was a fake cast," he told her, surprised to realize that he actually felt remorseful for hurting her. "We've seen drug dealers use them to hide their products."

Growling, she narrowed her eyes into dangerous slits, shifting a little against the wall she was pinned to. The black tendrils that were restraining her legs tightened when she braced her feet against the door, but she ignored the pain, letting her rising anger wash it away. "What the hell do you want from me?"

Venom frowned as her eyes flashed from gold to red, the angry growl that was constantly coming from her growing more vicious the longer he stared at her. "Answers. First off - where did that little friend of yours go?"

"Fuck you," Jasmine snarled, muscles in her legs bunching as she launched herself off the wall. The head-butt she gave Venom nearly knocked her silly - she had hit concrete walls that had caused her less pain - but it served it's purpose. When he stumbled backwards, more out of surprise than anything else, Jaz put her talons to good use and sliced herself free of the inky tendrils that encircled her legs, pausing only to deliver a nasty kick to Venom's left knee before she bolted again.

Panting for breath, Jaz leapt off the roof, dropping twenty eight feet to the concrete below. She landed in a crouch, concrete buckling under her before she rose to her feet and ran out of the alleyway she'd dropped into. There was the sound of Venom webslinging after her as she wove between parked cars, ignoring the agonizing throb in her left arm.

Her shaking right hand slid into the pocket of her jeans, fingers ghosting over the change there, her mind mentally counting out the coins she had. Relief spread through her when she talleyed out just enough money to allow her onto a city bus, a small refuge from the one she knew was following her.

Never in her life had she thought that the sound of screeching brakes would bring a relieved smile to her lips. It took the last of her strength, but she poured on another boost of speed, hopping the curb and propeling herself up the steps of the bus. Smiling without showing her fangs, Jaz paid the fare, snatched up a transfer, and moved to the back of the bus.

With a tired groan, she sank down into an empty seat, a shudder wracking her frame as she leaned her head against the window and peered out of it. There was no sign of the horror that was undoubtedly searching for her. Granted, the bus was just a temporary haven. A place where she could rest and try to regain some of her strength. Venom could easily track the bus' path, or even just rip it open, but her instincts told her that he wouldn't endanger everyone on the bus in order to get to her.

 _Now, how the hell can I get word to Zoe and the others? And better yet, how the hell am I going to lose Fang-boy?_ Baffled, and in pain, she leaned back and propped her right elbow up onto the windowsill, letting the cool autumn breeze from the open window ruffle her hair as she stared out at the buildings that went by. A particularly bad bump almost face-planted her against the window, and she muttered out a curse before resettling herself, slumping down until she could brace her knees against the back of the seat in front of her, curling up until her feet no longer touched the floor.

 _Well, this sucks_ , she thought as she gazed out the window, her aching arm resting across her thighs. Her right hand was in her hair, fingers curling into the thick, fur-like locks as her thoughts turned inwards, her mind trying to figure out a way for her to get back to her friends without leading a very unwelcome guest to them. It didn't really help that she didn't know where the bus was headed, but, truthfully, she hadn't been thinking that far ahead when she had jumped onto it.

A long drawn out sigh left her as she leaned her forehead against the window. "What the hell am I going to do?" she asked of her reflection, mildly disappointed when it didn't offer any sort of helpful advice. Feeling childish, she stuck her tongue out at her reflection in retaliation, the blood draining from her face when she saw who was waiting at the next bus stop, regarding her with amusement.

The bus came to a shaking stop again, and she groaned when the human-guised Venom climbed up the steps and turned to look at her, the sight nearly sending her shooting out of her seat and out the doors. The only thing that stopped her was the knowledge that while she was on the bus, with witnesses, there was a chance that he wouldn't cause a scene and beat her senseless.

Doing her best to seem calm, she forced the wolf's rage away from her thoughts, turning her attention out the window again as she hugged herself, trying to keep herself in check. Her nerves were shot, her muscles aching, her arm a throb of burning pain that was spreading up her shoulder and down her chest. Witnesses were probably the only thing that would get her out of this alive.

"You're not running. We're impressed."

Annoyed, she turned her head to look at him as he sat next to her, close enough to ensure that she couldn't run but still respecting her personal space. A single black eyebrow arched up towards her hairline as she glared at him. "Don't make me mention that iron stick again. And what the fuck should I call you? I'm not calling you 'Venom' on a crowded bus. How's about, Fangs?"

Eddie Brock stared at her, then chuckled, amused by her boldness. His other moved over his skin, it's thoughts once again centred on the woman sitting next to him, oddly intrigued by her. _Fangs. Cute._ Shaking his head, he countered her question with one of his own. "What should we call you, other than 'thief'?"

"Most people know me as, Stray."

"Stray?"

"Is there an echo in here?"

He growled. "Don't get snippy with us. We're still debating whether or not you're innocent. Maybe you're not a part of the drug gangs, but that doesn't exempt you from protection rackets."

That made her twist to look at him, eyes widening. "What are you _talking_ about?" When she noticed a few people looking their way, she grimaced and lowered her voice. "Are you crazy? Like, crazier than the papers say you are? I don't deal in poisons and filth. And I certainly don't take part in protection rackets!"

"We saw you take the money, and run from the police. We've been watching that store for weeks, biding our time until a runner took the store owners weekly payment to the local gang lord-"

"Wait! Local _gang_ lord?! Oh, bloody hell." With a groan, she slumped forward, lightly banging her forehead against the back of the seat in front of her. "Stupid. Stupid! _Stupid!_ "

Eddie watched her for a moment, amused at her antics. She was telling the truth about not being involved; the surprise in her eyes had been genuine, and he was adept at seeing the truth of things in people's eyes. So, why had she taken the money in the first place? He realized now that he had made a mistake in chasing her; she had obviously given the bag with the money to her flame-haired friend. And we fell for it. _We're getting sloppy._

She had fallen silent, her forehead resting on the seat in front of them, and Eddie found that he had to mentally pull the symbiote back, keeping it from reaching out to her. His Other gave what amounted to a grumble, and Eddie's eyes widened when he realized that the symbiote was studying her with what could be termed, 'wide-eyed wonder'. It was only after he gave it the equivalent of a mental nudge that it turned it's thoughts to him. _What's gotten into you?_

[ _Her lifeforce is... odd. Something like a mutant's but, different. It calls to us._ ]

 _Calls?_ Frowning, he sent a wave of confusion back to the alien, blinking when his Other merely informed him that Stray was speaking to them.

"...I understand that you were planning to stop a key piece of a drug ring," Stray was saying softly. "If I had known... Gods, if I had known, I never would have gotten involved in this mess. And what a mess this is. But, what this all comes down to is trust, and neither one of us trusts the other. So the question is, what the hell do we do now?"

Eddie sighed and rose a hand, running it over his face, suddenly tired. "We don't know. We believe you when you say that you're not a part of the drug ring that we've been chasing. We..." He couldn't believe that his Other was mentally jabbing him in order to get him to actually apologize. "We're truly sorry." What the hell is with you today?

"I..." Jasmine paused for a moment. Why had his scent just changed? "You realize that I don't really trust you, right?"

A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Would it help if we promised that as long as you don't cross us that we will leave you be?"

"That depends. Are you a threat to me and mine?"

Eddie shook his head. "No," he told her truthfully. "We only went after you because we thought you were part of the local drug gang."

"Which I'm not."

The warning look she gave him made him chuckle. "No. You're not."

Jaz stared at him for a few moments longer, then nodded. "Good. Great. Alright then."

With a sigh, she cast her gaze towards the window, frowning when she realized where the bus was heading. If she could manage to get off at the next stop, she wouldn't have too far to go before she reached the safehouse. Excusing herself, she managed to slide past 'Fangs', studiously ignoring his curious blue gaze.

But, something about him intrigued her now that he wasn't trying to kill her, and her wolf rumbled softly, not in anger, but in wary interest. _I must be going insane. Going? Bloody hell, I AM insane._ "Look, I don't know the local druggies territory that well, but I do know that a hell of a lot of the higher ups congregate at the one of the Underground Fight Rings. The next one is at an old abandoned juncture in the tunnels under Geary and Jones, in the Tenderloin. Head there this coming Wednesday at midnight. You'll find what you're looking for there."

Eddie stared at her, but before he could question her further, the bus slowed to a stop, the back doors opening to allow her to run out onto the sidewalk. He wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing that his Other wished that she had looked back.

tbc


	5. Chapter 5

.

.

.

"You're not going!"

Jasmine blinked, turning a frown onto a glaring Zoe. "Excuse me?"

"You can't go!" Zee snapped as she moved to stand between the mutant and the door. "It's _crazy!_ He's a psychotic killer, Jaz! You can't help him!"

One sleek black eyebrow arched upwards as Jasmine finished tying her sneakers. "Zoe, I can take care of myself."

"Can you?" Dark brown eyes widened in obvious worry. "For God's sake, Jaz, you're still healing. Your arm's busted, you're not sleeping... You're walking right into a hornet's nest of trouble!"

Jasmine shook her head and met Zoe's gaze. "I can't explain it, Zoe, not in terms you'd understand. He wasn't lying when he promised not to hurt me or the Pack, I would have smelled the lie." Her green eyes became peppered with amber flecks as she looked at the flame haired teen. "He didn't have to let me go, Zoe."

"You really think he'll keep his word?" Angel asked, speaking up from where she had been watching the exchange.

"Yes."

Cat, who was sitting next to Angel on what could be loosely termed a 'couch', rose her violet gaze to Jasmine's. - _Instinct?_ \- she signed curiously, relaxing a little when Jasmine nodded. The young teen had known Jasmine the longest, almost three years. Jaz had saved her from not only a rapist, but a certain death on the streets of San Francisco. She knew that the mutant's instincts were rarely wrong. So if Jasmine thought she could trust Venom, Cat didn't have a reason to argue.

That never stopped Zoe, though.

"Instinct? Are you shittin' me? You're basing all this on instinct?! Holy, hell, you _are_ insane!"

Jasmine snarled at her, fangs bared, eyes flashing gold. "It was my instinct that led me to let you into my Pack," she growled lowly. "Instinct to protect a pup in trouble, because you are still a pup, Zoe, despite your belief otherwise. I am not _human_ , Zoe. I will _never_ be human, despite appearances otherwise. I thought you understood that."

The rebuke made the teen flinch. "I-I... I _do_. But..."

Sighing, Jaz forced her annoyance aside, softening her gaze. "You worry. That's natural. But I'm a grown wolf... a grown _woman_. I can take care of myself." She looked over at Angel and Cat, rumbling softly. "We need the money. You know we do. Angel has to get a check-up to make sure the pup is healthy."

"Stubborn overprotective mutt," Angel murmured fondly, shaking her head with a laugh when Jaz mock growled at her. "When will you be back?"

The mutant blinked at the sudden acceptance. "Well, the fights usually take place around midnight, so, two?"

Zoe grumbled and folded her arms across her chest. "You're still insane," she muttered sourly, though she did move away from the door. "Just... just be careful."

A smile tugged at the corner of Jaz's mouth as she slid a belt through the loops on her jeans. "Always." She carefully pulled a tee shirt on over her tank top, hiding a wince at how her cast encased arm ached at the movement. "Besides, I'm more than a match for a bunch of drugged out humans."

- _It's not the humans we worry about_ ,- Cat signed, eyes worried. - _It's the guns they carry. You're fast, but you can't dodge a bullet_.-

"I won't have to, pup. Trust me."

Zoe snorted. "Famous last words."

.

.

.

tbc


	6. Chapter 6

.

.

.  
The roar of a huge crowd echoed through the old tunnels as Eddie slipped past the questionable security and headed deeper into the crowd, inwardly agreeing with his Other's uneasiness as the symbiote crawled over his skin, anxious and hungry for a fight. Three more drug related deaths had been discovered since he had last tried to corner one of the drug ring's lackeys. Two had been street children who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time during a gun-fight. All had been residents of the underground sanctuary of old San Francisco which he had vowed to protect.

Still, even the mix up with Stray had given him results. While the mutant hadn't been the prey he had been hunting for, she had given him the location of this place, this fighter's tournament. It was a filthy, dark hole, with the smell of blood and sweat thick in the stale air. Almost everyone he passed was either drunk or high, which made his part of infiltrating the group much easier. With the symbiote's ability to imitate the more abused style of street clothes some of the people wore, he was able to weave his way to the front with minimal effort.

Blue eyes narrowed as he stopped at a railing and looked down into a pit, where two fighters were doing their best to kill each other. Across from him, at the other side of the pit, he saw a blackboard listing the odds for and against each fighter. He didn't need to guess what had happened to the fighters whose names had been stricken through.

A crunch and a scream announced the end of the current match, and he carefully watched the exchange of money, trying to see if he could spot one of the high rollers. Surely someone had to be funding this, and through them, he hoped to track down the rest of the members of this savage club. And if he happened to come across any of the people that were involved with the drug ring in the process, all the better.

As he let his gaze travel over the crowd that were gathering to watch the next fight, the symbiote tugged at his attention, forcing him to turn his gaze down to the ring again. His breath left him in a curse as he numbly watched the familiar form step into the ring. The detailed tribal drawing on her otherwise white cast glowed under the few lights that were trained on the pit. _What the hell is she doing?!_

The drone of a badly wired PA system captured a small amount of his mind, and he listened numbly as he stared down at the woman who was casually leaning back against a scarred wall, patiently waiting for the next fight. Pinpricks spread across his back as the symbiote shuddered with discomfort when the PA system loosed a loud hi-pitched shriek of static, and Eddie did his best to keep both of them calm when Stray's opponent stepped into the sunken fighting ring.

"Facing tonight's current champion is Stray! She's a regular here, though as you can tell from the cast, the little lady isn't in tip-top shape! The odds are against her, as Gino aims to permanently remove her from the standings! And considering his five wins in a row tonight, against Stray's three, this girl could be in serious trouble! Finish your bets! This is our last fight for the night! Winner take all!"

Jasmine studied Gino from under lowered lashes, not moving from her position against the wall as the large man swaggered into the ring. He was almost five inches taller than her conservative five foot seven height, and he easily outweighed her. But the wolf within her rumbled scornfully, not in the least intimidated, and Jaz bristled defiantly as she let her wolf rise to the surface. The stench of the place kept her from properly dissecting his scent, but her hearing easily picked up his too rapid heartbeat. He had probably shot himself up with something before re-entering the ring, which could cause a problem for her.

The mix that was invading his veins would make him almost immune to any pain she might inflict on him, which left her choices severely limited. Either she could knock him out, or draw out the fight until the drugs wore off and he crashed. The former sounded best, since it would be too dangerous for her to draw out this fight longer than she needed to, especially since her broken arm would be a severe liability.

Already, her fangs had sharpened, heart pumping strongly as she lowered her arms from where they had been folded across her chest. Her left arm ached, but the pain kept her mind sharp. The piece of rebar that she had slipped into the cast to strengthen it pinched her skin, but it was a fair trade for the security it gave her. While the cast wouldn't protect her arm from a hit, the metal would at least help brace her arm, maybe even keep it from being broken again.

The roar of the crowd doubled as Gino flexed, showing off, the sight making her roll her eyes in exasperation as she pushed away from the wall and took a single step towards him, her sneakers making little sound on the cracked cement. Her shoulders worked under her skin as she loosened tense muscles, not breaking from her calm stance as she closed her eyes and centred herself, a feral grin spreading over her lips as she embraced her wolf and let herself meld with it.

She opened her eyes as the PA system screeched again, the announcer's voice blaring loudly in an attempt to be heard over the static. Already, the crowd was shouting for blood, her blood, and she gave a wolf-like chuff of laughter at the mere _thought_ that these humans could kill her. Still, overconfidence could get her killed if she didn't take things seriously.

"Fight!"

Gino lunged at her, and Jaz was ready for it.

With a smirk, she sidestepped his charge and spun, landing a solid kick right in his solar plexus. He staggered, then righted himself again, and she frowned, knowing that he was indeed on a drug-induced high; she had knocked other opponents to their knees with such a well-placed kick. Wanting to get this over with as soon as possible, she took the initiative, crouching a little before springing. He tried to duck out of the way, but she anticipated his movement, enabling her to twist in mid-air so that she could somersault over him, rebound off the wall, then slam both feet into his back.

He was much slower in recovering this time due to the fact that she had hit him hard enough to drive the air out of his lungs. Not wanting to get within his reach - opponents who were high with drugs sometimes had inhuman strength - she kept to the sidelines as he pushed himself to his feet, his eyes wild as he glared over at her and rose a hand to wipe the trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Bitch," Gino growled, hands curling into fists. "You'll pay for that!"

She merely smiled, trying not to laugh when his face darkened even further with rage. He looked somewhat like a beet now, and the image that came to her mind made it impossible to muffle a snicker. Less than impressed, he threw himself at her again, the pitiful roar that left him nearly making her laugh hysterically as she ducked his punch, turned into his body, grabbed his outstretched arm and threw him across the ring.

"Let me guess," Jaz snickered as he struggled to get to his feet in a timely manner. "I'll pay for that too, hmm? Now, is that bill gonna come before or after I hand you your ass?"

The crowd erupted in derisive screams and curses, and a whistle of air made her spin on her heel, her good hand shooting up to catch the brick that someone had thrown at her. Silence blanketed the arena as she casually juggled the brick in her right hand, her sharp gaze cutting across the mob in search of the fool that had tried to brain her with a brick. Instead, her eyes widened when she spotted a very familiar face, her shock melting away when she met the familiar human's gaze. _Well, well, well. It's about damn time he shows up! This is my fourth fight! Bastard took his sweet time._

Her internal thoughts were thrown to the winds as Gino, who had recovered, fisted a hand in her hair and lifted her off her feet before he smashed her face against the wall. His free fist planted itself into one of her kidneys, and she loosed a feral snarl of anger as he moved to slam her against the wall again. This time, she caught herself on her hands and knees, shifting a little to get her legs under her before she shoved off of the wall with all the strength she possessed, sending both of them flying across the ring until Gino hit the opposite wall with enough force that a loud crack of breaking cement and breaking ribs echoed throughout the arena.

His fingers tightened their hold on her hair, but she didn't notice. Instead, she slammed her right elbow into his stomach, growling as she followed it up by slamming the back of her head into his face, breaking his nose with an audible snap. Now he released her, and she leapt away, shaking her head so that her hair resettled itself over her shoulders before she turned to look at him again, a snarl on her lips.

Blood was pouring down his face, but he didn't even seem to notice as he swung, uppercutting her right in the jaw. Her head rocked back, and she automatically rose her arms to protect herself, a feral grin spreading over her lips as his right fist crashed into her cast. It hurt, but the sound of his knuckles hitting the piece of rebar hidden within the cast more than made up for it. He lashed out with a kick, and she retaliated by dropping into a crouch so that his left leg passed over her head, a growl leaving her as she braced herself on her arms and lashed out, both feet hitting his right knee with a satisfying crunch.

In the same movement, before he even started to fall, she twisted, rose into a handstand, and caught him under his chin with her right foot, then pushed off the floor with both hands and flipped into a fighter's stance. Gino wobbled, somehow still on his feet, elicting a snort from her as she reached out and poked him in the chest with her right index finger, smirking as he fell backwards and hit the floor, out cold.

A roar of anger erupted from the spectators, and she turned towards the loudest of the bunch, a snarl leaving her when a sharp clap of sound preceded the hot pain that cut into her cheek. Startled, she rose her right hand to touch her face, blinking when she felt warm blood trickle through her fingers. The ominous clicks more guns being pulled and cocked made her hackles rise, and the wolf within her howled in warning as she crouched and leapt, easily clearing the twelve foot high edge of the ring.

She landed on the end of a bench just in front of the blackboard, her weight sending one hapless spectator flying. Growling, she lashed out, kicking the guns out of the two guards that were standing between her and the unofficial 'banker'. Once they were disarmed, Jaz swatted them aside and snatched the money out of the banker's hands, smirking at him before she launched herself towards a tunnel.

Bullets filled the air, and it was only by rebounding from wall to floor and back to the wall that she managed to avoid them. She twisted in mid-air, tucked and rolled, barely avoiding a thrown bottle of whiskey that exploded against the wall next to her, peppering her with shards of glass. Wrinkling her nose at the sharp smell of cheap alcohol, she crouched low to avoid a sloppy punch, ducking under the swing and kicking her attacker's legs out from under him.

The roar of gunfire made her turn, a yip of surprise leaving her as a huge black form grabbed her and spun to shield her from the shotgun's blast. Her senses immediately recognized the unique scent of the one who had hunted her just a few days earlier, and really, being pressed up against his very muscled physique wasn't sending her thoughts, or her wolf's, into any coherent directions.

"Are you insane?" The voice was right next to her ear, and Jaz fought down a shiver; if she had found Venom's voice eerie before, it was even creepier when he was snarling in her ear.

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" she retorted as she slipped out of his grasp and watched him backhand the one with the shotgun, sending the gunner sprawling. "Now c'mon! I know which escape tunnel the higher ups are going to take. The crowd's just about reached the right level of pissed that'll send 'em running." Her eyes widened a little in shock as she turned to stare at him. "Wait, did that shotgun blast actually _hit you?!_ "

He chuckled, only his pale 'eyes' and the spider across his chest visible in the shadows as the symbiote expelled the metal slugs, each tiny metal piece making a small sound as they hit the ground. "Bullets can't harm us," Venom told her smugly, seeing her gaze drop to the crumpled bullets that lay at his feet. "Is that fear we see in your eyes?"

"You're bloody bullet-proof, you have enough teeth to make a shark jealous and you damn near outpaced _me_ a few days ago. I'd be _stupid_ not to be afraid." Jasmine turned away from him as she spoke, shoving the wad of twenty, fifty and hundred dollar bills into various pockets in her cargo pants, zipping each pocket closed afterwards. "I haven't lived this long by trusting people blindly."

A low growl left Venom as she headed deeper into the tunnels, and he bounded forward to silently land by her side, easily keeping pace with her. When the symbiote and Eddie were in this form, it was the symbiote who was the more dominant mind. Eddie Brock was still there, but his personality and knowledge was mostly dormant, creating a vastly different being; creating Venom.

And this being was curious about the mutant next to it. She moved like a predator, with a fluid grace that even he couldn't match. Eddie had watched her fight, and Venom found it interesting that it had been her opponent, and not her, that had been badly outmatched, despite her obvious injury.

Sighing, Jaz glanced back at him to make sure he was following, able to see in the dim light almost as easily as she could see in the sunlight, a definite perk. He caught her gaze and smirked, chuckling when she growled at him. "Quiet you, or I'm outta here, and you can try to track down those higher up's on your lonesome."

Venom grinned. This was getting to be fun. "Snippy much?"

"Shaddup. We're getting close. And if you get me killed I swear to any and all Gods that you hold dear that I will come back and haunt you, kapeesh?"

 _As if we wouldn't protect you._ "It is kapeeshed." Silence fell over them, and once it did it was easy to pick out the sounds of voices ahead of them. The darkness was slowly giving way as they approached an adjacent tunnel, the dim light that poured from it illuminating their path. He frowned down at Stray as she froze, just barely managing to side-step so as to avoid knocking her over, barely smothering a hiss when she bristled. "What is it?"

She rose her hand to silence him and crept forward, daring to take a quick peek around the corner. Their scents had already given them away, and she smirked as she took note of the five fight managers and their bodyguards. The former were completely involved in counting their emmense share of the money and bickering, while the latter were muttering about Gino's pitiful match. Still, the bulk under the guard's jackets gave away the weapons they carried, machine guns if she guessed correctly. The managers didn't look armed, but she wasn't about to count them out of a potential fight.

"There's ten of them," she whispered as she ducked back into the shadows. "Five managers and their bodyguards. The guards are armed with machine guns, but the managers are so distracted that they'll probably panic before they think to defend themselves. The guards smell like they've got drugs in their systems though, so their reactions might be slowed by a few seconds."

"Perfect," Venom hissed, talons itching for blood. "We'll handle them. You are to stay here."

Jasmine snarled at him. "I am _not_ a delicate waif in need of protection!"

"Perhaps, but you are hurt." Snickering at the glare she gave him, he patted her on the head, then lunged into the adjacent tunnel with a roar. One guard dropped to the ground as webbing wrapped around his face, suffocating him. The second joined him mere seconds later, his throat ripped out and his last breath rasping past his lips. Bullets filled the air, but they did nothing to slow his charge as he slammed into the third guard, snapping his head from his shoulders with a satisfying crunch while the symbiote expelled the spent rounds as fast as they hit him.

Blood and bullets rained down around him as Venom sent a tendril out to snatch up the fourth guard, chuckling darkly as the symbiote flowed into the gunman's lungs, ripping him apart from the inside with knife edged pseudopods. The last bodyguard, having lost his bravado at the rapid and grisly deaths of his peers, turned to run, and before Venom could leap after him, Stray stepped out of the darkness and delivered a savage kick, knocking the guard back to bonelessly smash up against a pipe.

Anger rose in him. "We told you to-!"

"Fuck off!" she snarled, fangs bared. As she spoke, the sound of movement behind her alerted her to the gun that was being pulled, and she tilted her head to look over at one of the managers, a low warning growl rising from her as she glared over the barrell of the gun to the one pointing it at her. He hesitated at the feral, animalistic look in her eyes, and she didn't hold back as she lashed out to close her right hand on his wrist, eyes narrowing as she twisted his hand and _squeezed_.

The scream that echoed through the tunnels almost drowned out the crunch of broken bones, and she stared down at the man that was now on his knees for a long minute before she released his broken wrist with a feral snarl of contempt. Unaware that the green in her eyes had vanished, leaving only predatory wolf-gold behind, Jaz turned to look at the dark muscled form that was staring at her in surprise. "Don't you _ever_ pull that macho bullshit with me ever again."

Rumbling deep in her chest, she turned and snatched up the money that the fight managers had dropped in their panic, shoving the bills into her last empty pocket before she headed for the shadows. A taloned hand closing on her cast stopped her in mid-step, and she struggled not to lash out as she glanced back at the narrowed pale eyes that studied her, not liking how close those rows of fangs were.

Venom growled and snatched up a twenty dollar bill, waving it in her face. "Is this what you came here for?" he hissed, not needing to worry about the five managers getting away since he had securely webbed them to the walls. "Were we just a diversion? A means to an end?"

She tried to jerk her arm free, but he held fast. "Hey, I didn't have to come here at all!"

"Then why did you?" When she tried to wriggle free, he tightened his hold on her. "Answer us!"

"Because for some reason I decided to abandon my sanity and help you!"

He frowned. "You... came to help us?"

"No. I came here for my _health_. Of _course_ I came to help you! And I'm _really_ starting to regret it!" This time she managed to yank her arm out of his grip, and she barely managed to smother the snarl that threatened to escape her throat when her arm sent a wave of pain through her, obviously unimpressed at her rough treatment of her injury. Cursing, she gingerly tugged the piece of rebar loose of her cast and tossed it over her shoulder, ignoring the surprised look that her unlikely companion was giving her as she massaged feeling back into her fingers.

Sighing, she turned to look at Venom, wondering if she was out of her mind for helping him as she glanced at the five managers that were hanging in the mass of webs. "Those five aren't high up on the list of people who run the drug territory, but if you get inventive, they should give you enough information to lead you to the ones who are. If not, there's many other Fight Rings in this city, and those five hanging there certainly know about at least half those." She paused, wondering if she dared to tell him more, then shook her head and turned to leave. "I'm out of here."

"Wait. What else were you going to tell us?"

"I've told you all I can," she frowned, glancing at him over her shoulder and hiding a shiver when she noted that he had moved closer to her without her knowledge. "Do you realize what I've risked by helping you? This used to be one of my haunts. People here _know_ me. And now that I've lead you here and helped you catch those fools, I'll have a price on my head in as little as forty-eight hours. So you'll excuse me if I don't want to stick around."

Venom growled, mentally kicking himself for not reaching that conclusion on his own. "We can protect you. There is a place we can bring you, a sanctuary of sorts. You and yours will be safe there."

"I don't trust people so easily," she frowned, casting a look at him. "And there is nowhere in this city where my Pack and I can be safe."

Even before she was finished speaking, he lost sight of her. She just seemed to melt into the shadows and vanish, and while he wanted to chase her down and continue their conversation, he didn't want to risk losing his five 'prizes'. But, he could still sense her through the symbiote, so he figured he'd be able to track her down after he was done.

Riled up now, annoyed at both her, and his own lack of insight, Venom turned and hissed at the five men who were dangling in his webs, licking at his fangs as he advanced on them, talons gleaming, dark knife-edged symbiote tendrils reaching for his prey. "Let's chat."  
.

.

.

tbc


	7. Chapter 7

.

.

.

"I'm back," Jaz groaned as she staggered up the half-rotten stairs, ignoring Cat's frantic look as she shuffled into their temporary hideaway.

"Holy shit! What the hell happened to you?!" Worried, Zoe launched herself from the couch and moved to help the mutant into the large room they were all living in. "Gods, what did you do?!"

"I didn't dodge fast enough," Jasmine muttered, sighing in relief as she let herself sink down onto the dilapidated couch. "I'd pull the cash out of my pockets, but I'm too tired."

Angel stared at her for a long moment. "How many fights, _exactly_ , did you get in?" When Jaz meekly rose four fingers, Angie cursed and threw her hands up into the air. "Okay, I'm with Zoe now. You're crazy! You could have been killed!"

"I wanted to make sure we had enough cash. Things have gotten a bit more... complicated."

Cat moved to kneel in front of her, hands moving rapidly. - _How complicated?_ -

Groaning, Jaz gingerly shifted so she could prop her feet up on an overturned milk crate, leaning her head back against the wall as she closed her eyes and told them what had happened, yawning intermittently as she recounted her night. When she was finished, she cracked an eye open to assess the damage, frowning at the glares the three were giving her. "What?"

"You got bored waiting for Venom to show up, so you decided to do an extra three rounds to kill time?!" Zoe looked like she was two seconds away from having an aneurysm. "And you let the ring leaders of the fights _see you?!_ Are you _nuts?_ "

A wry smirk tugged at Jaz's lips. "You've never seen me bored," she quipped, chuckling at the angry looks that Zoe and Angel gave her. "On the bright side, we have more money, and Venom and I are even now."

Angel blinked. "Even?"

"Yup. Even though we did steal that money, he let me - and you Zoe - go. And he took my word when I said that we weren't part of the drug ring. I owed him for that. He could have hunted all of us down, but he didn't." Jaz shrugged. "Giving him the leaders of that fight ring makes us even in my book."

Cat rolled her eyes. - _Yeah. That sounds like something you'd do._ -

"I resent that."

Zoe sighed, shaking her head as she face-palmed. "Alright, so now that you're gonna have a price on your head, what are we going to do?"

"I was thinking that we should get a hotel room for a little while," Jaz told them as she straightened and started pulling money out of the pockets of her cargo pants, handing the bills to Cat so the teen could tally up the total. "I got a good haul tonight. If we're careful, we should be able to stretch it out for a long while. Besides, it's getting colder at night, and Angel's in her last trimester. We need a more secure place."

- _Two thousand six-fifty-three,_ \- Cat signed. - _Add that to the one thousand four hundred and change from a few days ago, and we should be good for a very, very long time. Assuming, of course, that_ _ **someone**_ _doesn't break anything else._ -

A defeated whine left the mutant. "I said I was sorry!"

Rolling her eyes, Angel leaned back against the couch, grimacing as it gave her a sharp reminder that the 'couch' was more lumber and blanket than actual furniture. "A real bed would be nice, at least for a little while..."

"And you have to go see a doctor for your monthly check-up," Zoe reminded her, ignoring the glare the mother-to-be gave her as she ran her hands through her flame-coloured hair, sighing in defeat. "Alright. What about that motel near Castro Street that we stayed at a few months ago? It's west of Mission Street, not the best neighborhood, but it's fairly near one of the University Hospitals, and worst comes to worse, the BART subway is close-by."

Cat snapped her fingers to get their attention. - _There's also that small motel near the Great Highway. It's in a better neighborhood, and it's half an hour away from the beach. It's not as cheap as the one near Castro, but it's cleaner._ -

"Right," Jaz murmured. "That one's up in the Outer Richmond, right? It's got a Walgreens and a grocery store nearby if I remember correctly." She eyed Cat with a smile. "And you just want to go to the beach."

"One of the clinics the Hospital suggested I use isn't far from there either," Angel added thoughtfully. "It'll be a half-hour bus ride, but it's better than using the BART."

"She's got a point," Zoe murmured. "And at least if we take the one near the beach, we won't have to be on constant alert."

The mutant chuckled. "Motel near the beach it is then."

"We should pay a bit more for a room with two double beds and cable." When the other three gave her amused looks, Angel huffed and mock glared at them. "What? You people don't let me walk around a lot. If I'm gonna sit somewhere and vegetate, I might as well be comfortable and entertained."

"Scary pregnant lady wants cable," Zoe told Jaz, snickering as she ducked the smack that Angel aimed at her. "Maybe we should give her cable."

Cat giggled. - _It would keep the complaining down to a minimum._ -

Angel harumphed and folded her arms over her belly, turning her nose up at them. "Traitors."

* * *

Jasmine fidgeted, a muscle in her cheek twitching as she held herself in check. They had agreed that she should keep a low profile, but certain necessities demanded her attention. After all, neither Zoe or Angel could appear on whatever security cameras the motel had. Both of them, being runaways, were probably still being searched for by various parties, and she refused to let them put themselves in danger.

Thus, she and Catalina were standing at the main desk of the motel 'reception', which was really just a glorified closet that was set apart from a small room that held a tv and a dilapidated chair. The owner smelled of stale beer and really needed a shower, but since he was letting them pay with cash, she didn't complain. Not out loud, anyway.

As soon as she was handed the keys, she steered Cat out into cleaner air and rose a hand to wave at the two who were waiting nearby, gesturing for them to follow her as she headed for their room, eyeing the old faded numbers as she strode over to their door. She'd asked for a room on the ground floor, easier for Angel to walk to, and easier to escape - there was a window at the back of the room. Barred, but Jaz could take care of that easily.

Glancing back over her shoulder to make sure that the others were nearby, she slid the key into the lock and toed the door open. Immediately, her heightened senses scanned the room. Sharp hearing confirmed that the room was empty, and a few deep sniffs told her that while the room wasn't super clean, it hadn't been used for any overly debauched activities. "Alright. It's clear."

She lead the way in, knowing that Zoe would be coming in last, watching their backs. Cat and Angel came in behind her, the latter of the two immediately heading over to sit on one of the double beds. Trusting Zoe to close the door, Jaz went about checking the entire room, including the bathroom. She was glad to find that there were no signs of vermin, and that someone had done a rather impressive job of cleaning the bathroom.

"Oh, my aching feet." Groaning, Angel carefully swung her legs up onto the bed, leaning back against the headboard in mixed relief and exhaustion. It had taken them two hours to reach the motel by way of a quick trip on the BART and two buses. Even though Jaz, Zoe and Cat had been carrying the backpacks filled with their meager belongings, Angel felt like she had hiked twenty miles with fifty pounds strapped to her back. Or, perhaps, fifty pounds strapped to her stomach. It didn't help that her ankles were swollen and that the baby had been using her kidney as a sparring partner.

"Well, it's not the best," Zoe muttered as she inspected the coffee maker, the small bar fridge and the microwave. "But I think we can make due."

"It's better than most of the places we've stayed in," Jaz sighed as she rejoined them, walking over to the small table and chairs that were situated near the only window the room had. And she couldn't help but relax a bit more when she saw that said window had bars to keep would-be-burglers from getting into the room through the glass.

- _We should go buy some food_ ,- Cat signed, moving to help Jaz unpack the small amount of rations they still had. - _And this time, you have to keep a low profile_.-

"I know," the mutant growled. "But I don't like it."

"Aw, dontcha wanna keep me company?" Angel mock-whined as she searched through the bed stand for the control to the old TV that was situated on the dresser across from the two beds, grumbling when all she found was an old Bible.

"Oh, hush. You know that's not true."

- _Besides, you need to protect Angel_.- When Jaz's gaze darkened, Cat sighed and lay a hand on the woman's arm, smiling at her reassuringly, knowing that the mutant would understand the touch and gesture.

"I know you'll be alright," Jasmine said in response to the silent message that Cat had given her. "You and Zoe can take care of yourselves, but you're still Pack. I worry."

Zoe smirked, having heard Jaz's words. That the older woman compared their group to wolf packs only barely managed to scratch the surface. The mutant's unique instincts and abilities made her naturally protective of those she cared about. Zoe had always thought Jasmine to be a wolf in a human body. The woman was truly more canine than human, with instincts and motives that, sometimes, still seemed so strange to her.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Zee smiled and walked over to the mutant. "Don't worry. I'll take good care of her. We'll go, get the food, and come right back. An hour, tops."

"Any later and I'll come looking for you," Jaz warned, growling when Zoe rolled her eyes. "I mean it!"

"I know! That's what makes it so pitiful!" Chuckling at the now rather annoyed glare the mutant was giving her, Zee slung an arm across Cat's shoulders and guided her out the door. "We'll be back."

Angel waved at them as the door closed. "Buy pickles!"  
.

.

.

tbc


	8. Chapter 8

.

.

.

"I'll be back by midnight," Jasmine assured Zoe as she finished buttoning her worn jeans, knowing full well that the flame haired teen would be the only one still awake at midnight. Already, Angel had dozed off, and Cat was completely engrossed with watching some sort of nature show on the small colour TV. "You remember how to call me if something happens?"

"Yup." Grinning, Zee held up the dog whistle that hung around her neck. "Two short and one long whistle equals 'come save our asses, bitch'."

The mutant chuckled, a low wolf-like chuff of laughter. "Just try to stay out of trouble. Keep the door-"

"Locked and the guns loaded," Zoe finished, smiling at Jaz as the mutant threw a hoodie over her tank top. "I know the drill." Sparing a glance at Cat, she silently pressed a fifty into Jaz's right hand, ignoring the annoyed look her friend gave her. "Go. Get some fresh air and some food before you get any twitchier than you already are. Ah! No arguing. Either you go, or I spend all night playing 'Mary had a little lamb' on this here dog whistle."

Jasmine scowled at her for a moment, then sighed and shook her head. "You're an evil, evil little pup."

"You know it. Now get!"

Amused at Zoe's mock commanding tone, Jaz ducked her head to hide a smirk and slipped out of the front door, waiting until she heard Zoe lock it before making her way across the parking lot. Tired, hungry, and feeling trapped in her own skin, she slipped her blue tinted sunglasses on and, choosing a direction at random, wandered away from the hotel.

Even though it was nearing autumn, the sun was only now disappearing beneath the horizon, and it was just quarter to six. She had plenty of time to grab some sort of food and seek shelter in the nearby Golden Gate Park. Though, as much as her wolf wished to stretch even more, Jaz knew that Shifting was out of the question. While she wanted to shape-change into her wolf form, her broken arm, a serious lack of sleep, and poor diet was working against her. She'd only end up draining herself of what little strength she had.

It left her uncomfortable and twitchy, her wolf far too close to the surface of her thoughts. The sunglasses would hide her golden eyes, and she was hiding her black taloned hands in her hooded sweatshirt's pockets. Her lengthened fangs, well, there was no way to hide them. She'd just have to be careful how she spoke.

The area of the city she was in was much quieter than the other districts she was used to being in. Her hackles weren't raised, the feeling of danger that usually made her bristle surprisingly absent. Of course, there was still the slight undercurrent of crime - a few scents of human predators, muggers, rowdy teenagers - but nothing like the scents she knew filled the worst areas of the Tenderloin. Or the underground Fight Rings.

The fleeting thought of the fights instantly brought up her misgivings surrounding what she had done. Oh, sure, Jaz knew that the fights were illegal. And that they probably funded most if not all of the crime syndicates and gangs, but considering that she didn't like having to steal money, it was, to her, an acceptable recourse. Not that her Pack wouldn't disagree.

But she had betrayed the ringleaders of the fights. Not only had she told Venom about the fight's location, but she had actually helped him catch some of the higher-ups. That was going to come back and bite her in the tail. Jasmine - or rather, Stray, as she called herself in the fights - was rather well known in the underground. She had been taking part in fights for almost four years. And she knew that betrayal did not sit well with any of the contributors, the fighters, and especially any who stood to gain from the fights.

There was probably a price on her head. She wasn't too worried. She had fought and beaten most of the ones who would try to cash in on the bounty. The rest, well, she could handle herself. No one outside of her Pack knew that she was a mutant, more wolf than human, and possessing the ability to shapechange into not only her wolf form, but something that resembled what most movie-goers considered a 'werewolf'.

Jaz only hoped that she wouldn't have to play that hand; that her normally heightened strength, speed and agility would be enough. It had certainly helped when she was being chased by Venom. And that had been while wounded, tired and starving. _Oh, for the days when I was living in the forests..._

A mess of scents suddenly caught her attention, her head snapping up as she stopped on a street corner. She inhaled, drinking in the smell of burgers and fries, and while her wolf wanted fresh prey - _fangs ripping into flesh, licking warm blood from her muzzle_ , - Jaz stubbornly squashed that urge, ignoring her wolf's mental grumbles.

Burgers would have to do.

* * *

Twenty minutes later found her in the arboretum section of the Park, safely seated in the highest branches of a massive Maple tree. She had wedged herself against the trunk, her left leg stretched along a branch while her right casually dangled over the long drop to the ground below. A fast food bag was carefully balanced on her left thigh, one empty hamburger wrapper already shoved in with the remaining three.

It was a sad, sad alternative to actual meat, but the four double bacon cheeseburgers would go a long way to fill her stomach and give her back some strength. The extra large fries and the three small cartons of chocolate milk were just side-dishes.

Somewhere, Jasmine imagined that a human doctor was having a fit over her meal. The thought pulled an amused rumble from her as she polished off her second burger and started on the third. Slowly, her wolf's mental grumbling complaints faded, her wild side's predatory instincts calmed by not only a full stomach, but the much needed calories her body had been craving.

Her thoughts derailed moments later, the scent that suddenly entered the area sending a wave of surprise through her. She spent a moment choking and pounding on her chest as the mouthful that she had been in the process of swallowing tried to relocate itself into her sinuses. Coughing, Jaz fumbled for a carton of milk, drinking greedily until the tightness in her throat passed.

 _Wonderful_ , she thought to herself as she wiped her hands on a napkin. _I can survive being chased across the city by a wacko, I don't even break a sweat in the fight rings... but I almost get taken out by a burger. Lovely_. Grumbling, she wadded up the third wrapper and shoved it, and the empty milk carton into the paper bag, ignoring the lure of the last burger and fries.

Wary now, Jaz closed her eyes and let her wolf brush the surface, her senses sharpening, expanding her awareness of the area around her. The breeze that was ruffling the trees carried a cornucopia of scents to her, her mind instantly sorting through all of the smells until she had locked onto the one that had startled her.

Venom. Gods above, she didn't want to deal with this. _Well, judging by the fact that he's already changed course and is heading my way, it'd just be a waste of energy to try to sneak out of the Park... And I'm not going to risk leading him back to the hotel._

Sighing, Jasmine shook her head and started on her last burger, refusing to ignore her still present hunger. Even with the smell of food right under her nose, it was easy to track Venom by his unique scent. Especially since he was upwind of her. _And he calls himself a predator. Ha. Even a pup on it's first hunt knows to stay downwind of prey. Amateur._

Three minutes later, the leaves above her gave a shiver.

"Ah ha! We were wondering why the trees smelled like McDonalds!"

Rolling her eyes, Jaz balled up the wrapper from her last burger and threw it at Venom where he was hanging upside down in front of her, smirking when it bounced off his forehead.

"Hmpft." Giving her a look of mock annoyance, Venom swung an arm out and ensnared the falling wrapper in a web, a slight yank sending it flying up into his hand before he dropped it into the bag on her leg. "And to think, we were actually _looking_ for you."

Belying the anxiety she felt at that, Jaz snatched her fries out of the bag and started munching on them. "Really? 'Cause I've been tracking you since you entered this section of the Park."

Curious, he dropped down to crouch on the branch in front of her, talons sinking into the bark as he tilted his head to the side and met her gaze. In his current morphed form, the symbiote's interest in her was sharper, much closer to the surface. He decided not to tell her that the symbiote had been able to sense her odd presence from almost half a mile away.

Instead, Venom carefully moved, sitting on the branch and merely turning his head to the side to look at her, his gaze flitting over the slight bruises she had from the fight with Gino before speaking. "Oh? Care to enlighten us?"

"It's impossible to sneak up on someone who's memorized your scent," she smirked, one fang peeking out from between her lips. "Especially when you're upwind."

He blinked, then chuckled and shook his head. "It's been a while since we've dealt with someone who has enhanced senses. No wonder we couldn't use the trees to ambush you last week."

The reminder killed the last of her appetite, and Jaz frowned as she replaced her half-eaten fries into the bag. "What do you want, Venom?"

Her harsh tone, such a change from before, surprised him. "We wanted to thank you," he told her. "For Wednesday night. You left before we had a chance to tell you."

"Oh." That wasn't what she had been expecting. Even her wolf seemed surprised by the honest statement.

Venom growled softly, sensing her wariness. "We gave you our word that we wouldn't harm you and yours, Stray, and we don't make such promises lightly. We can truthfully say that you're one of a very select group of people that have nothing to fear from us." He paused to let her absorb that before speaking again, a slight note of distress entering his voice, despite his efforts to keep it hidden. "Would you be more comfortable if we were in our human form?"

She blinked at the offer. "What? No. No, you don't have to do that. I'm..." A sigh left her as she ran her good hand through her hair. "I'm sorry. I'm not exactly the best of company lately."

"Don't worry about it. You're not the only one that has their off days." He felt the symbiote flutter over his shoulders, and turned his pale gaze onto her cast. "How's your arm?"

Jaz grumbled, picking at a spot on her cast that wasn't covered by Cat's drawing. "Honestly? It hurts like hell. The hospital wanted me to take a prescription for antibiotics and painkillers, but neither I or my Pack could afford it at the time."

A low rumble of concern left him as he held a hand out to her. "May we? We promise, it won't hurt."

Hesitant, and with her wolf growling in her mind, she slowly extended her cast encased arm, watching as he curled his fingers completely around her forearm, cast and all. But despite the wicked talons, and the massive strength she knew he had, Venom was surprisingly gentle. He cradled her arm in his hands, carefully testing the range of motion of her elbow and fingers.

"We're going to extend a tiny part of the symbiote into your cast," he told her, meeting her gaze when he felt her tense. "It won't hurt. The symbiote will be able to tell if you're healing proper-" Venom's voice trailed off as he watched her reaction, hissing softly when the pupils of her eyes dilated until only a thin ring of gold encircled the depth-less black.

Her wolf surged to the surface. Jaz barely resisted the urge to attack him, her talons and fangs lengthening, heartbeat roaring in her ears. Heat blossomed across her skin, and she panicked, struggling against her feral side. The last thing she wanted was to Shift forms. And certainly not in front of Venom.

"Stray?" She was so far gone that she didn't even react when Venom grabbed her shoulders and shook her, calling her name, then quickly catching the fist that flew at him. He knew a panic attack when he saw one, and the symbiote was fairly thrumming in surprise as it's senses picked up what it thought was an internal battle. Worried, and very aware that she hadn't taken an actual breath in far too long, Venom slid his free hand into her hair, fairly roaring into her face. "Stray! _Breathe_ , Stray!"

The yell startled her, her wolf hesitating in curiosity as it turned it's attention outwards again. Her senses, previously numbed due to the struggle, slammed back into existence. Her eyes refocused, and she gasped and jerked away in surprise when she saw how close Venom was, whacking the back of her head against the tree trunk with enough force that she momentarily saw stars.

"Easy now," Venom rumbled, lightly brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "Easy. Just breathe."

Jaz groaned and tried to raise her hands to her aching head, blinking in confusion when she realized that Venom had a grip on her right fist. "You can let go now. I'm... well, I'm not alright, but I'm in control."

"You're not going to try to hit us again, are you?" Venom asked wryly as he released her, leaning back to give her some space. Her eyes still hadn't changed back to normal, and he smiled when her gaze darted up to his in mixed surprise and embarrassment. "Don't worry. We understand."

"Do you?" The words came out sharp, harsher than she meant.

He growled softly, leaning forward again, fangs fully formed. "Do you think you're the only one who has to fight against instincts that are... _incompatible_ with humanity?"

Jaz stared at him for a moment, then forced herself to look away, a sign of submission. "I warned you that I wasn't good company," she muttered, wincing as she touched the bump on the back of her head. It was then that she noticed that the bag that had been sitting on her thigh was missing, a low whine of disappointment leaving her when she peered over the edge of the branch and spied said bag on the ground, over fifteen feet below.

The sound pulled a low chuckle from Venom, his irritation with her fading. "Poor, puppy."

Her right eyebrow arched upwards. "I haven't been a pup in a long time," she rumbled warningly. "And the last person who called me a 'puppy' almost forfeited his _life_."

"We're just confirming our suspicions," he told her with a smirk, raising his hands as if to fend off her glare. "We haven't met many mutants with animal characteristics. For a moment, we weren't sure if you were canine or feline."

Jaz grimaced at the 'feline' bit. "Wolf, actually. Are you always so nosy?"

A bark of laughter left him, fangs gleaming in an amused smile as he looked at her. "Only when something peaks our interest," he told her honestly, snickering at the startled expression that settled on her features. "It isn't everyday that we almost get outpaced by a pretty thief."

"Flattery will get you kicked out of this tree."

"Aw. You're no fun."

She blinked at his pouting tone, then shook her head. "You're insane."

"Only enough to be interesting," Venom agreed with a grin, chuckling when she rolled her eyes at him. Though he didn't miss the smile that tugged at her lips; or the happy thrill that coursed through the symbiote. "So! Do you want to know what information we got out of the managers?"

Jaz shifted to sit lotus style and rested her elbows on her knees. "They actually talked?"

A pleased growl left him as he flexed his talons, giving her a smug look. "We can be very... _convincing_."

Her wolf recognized the tone. "Which is a pretty way of saying that their bosses will be finding pieces of them for weeks."

Venom laughed. "Oh, we knew there was a reason we liked you! Yes. We left a little surprise. At tomorrow's fight location, actually." He paused, his gaze dropping to the cast on her arm. "But we've heard rumors. You were right, about the consequences of the betrayal. As of tonight, you have a rather impressive price on your head."

"That's not much of a surprise," she sighed tiredly, turning her face into the breeze that ruffled her hair and drinking in the scents the wind brought to her. "I've already moved the Pack somewhere safer. Other than that, there's little else I can do."

"We don't suppose you'd let us help you?"

She shook her head. "No. I may be starting to trust you," Jaz ignored the happy look he gave her, "but my Pack doesn't. They think I'm insane. And not in the interesting way. I got enough of an earful for helping you at the fights."

Curiosity grew in him, fueled by Eddie's reporter instincts. "We thought alphas led wolf packs."

A wry smirk spread over her lips. "They do. But my Pack isn't made up of wolves. I can't ask them to follow a set of rules that they have no hope of truly understanding."

"Makes sense," he mused, cocking a brow at her in amusement. "Though now, we'll have to read up on wolves. Unless you'd let us pepper you with questions?"

Jasmine met his gaze for a moment, then looked away, unnerved by her wolf's intense curiosity. "Not tonight."

"Meaning we can see you another night?"

The ferocity upon which he jumped on that opening even made Venom blink, and Jaz frowned, turning inward for a second. Her wolf, contrary to it's earlier distrust of him, now seemed entirely too trusting, it's attention akin to that of a pup that had found a kindred playmate. Startled, she quickly pushed her wolf away from her thoughts, unnerved.

"Stray?" Concerned about how pale she had just gone, Venom dared to reach out and place a hand on her knee, pulling back when she turned wide eyes onto him. "What is it?"

She dropped her gaze, shaking her head. "Nothing. Just fighting with my wolf." It was obvious by the flat look he gave her that he didn't believe her, but she wasn't about to offer up any more information. "But, yes, I suppose we can meet on another night." Jaz turned her gaze away from his and lifted her head to the sky, inhaling silently. "It's going to rain tomorrow though."

"We can't tomorrow," Venom muttered regretfully. "We're going to stake out the location of the next fight. Just to see who discovers the little 'gift' we left there. Hopefully, they'll lead us to someone with a bit more information."

The mutant mulled that over for a moment, glancing at her cast in disgust. "If it wasn't for this arm, I'd be tempted to join you."

Venom frowned at her, daring to lightly rest a hand on her right arm. "You handled yourself well the other night."

A wry smirk tugged at her lips. "Yeah, but it took a lot out of me." Her eyes flashed gold in accordance with her rising annoyance before fading to a amber flecked green, a tired sigh escaping her as she leaned back against the tree, staring up at the canopy for a moment before frowning. "I should go. My Pack worries."

Venom stared at her as she rose to her feet with a grace that belonged to a cat rather than a wolf, her eyes almost glowing as she tucked her hair behind her slightly pointed ears. "Stray, we-" He bit down his protest. Instead, he rose, standing next to her, lightly placing one large taloned hand on her left shoulder and meeting her brilliant gaze. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

A soft laugh left her as she shook her head. "You don't even know me."

"We'd like to," he blurted, oddly flustered. "Either as you see now, or our separate parts. Or... both."

Jaz looked at him, held his gaze for a moment, then shrugged. "Whichever you're comfortable with," she answered, smirking when he stared at her, visibly shocked. "I'll see you later, Venom. Good luck tomorrow."

Dumbfounded, he could only watch as she leapt to the ground below, landing in a lithe crouch before disappearing into the depths of the arboretum. "We think we have a date," he mumbled to himself, as a happy thrill that coursed through him.

.

.

.

tbc


	9. Chapter 9

.

.

.

Venom growled under his breath as he prowled the abandoned subway tunnels, symbiote enhanced vision enabling him to see as clearly in the darkness as if it was day. Which made it all the easier to spot the carefully placed talon marks he had left in the walls a few nights before. The last thing he needed was to get turned around in the maze of tunnels that lay under San Francisco's streets. Especially when he had a deadline to keep.

His 'informant' had said that the ones that were tasked with scouting out new fight sites were supposed to be at a certain intersection in an hour, and Venom wanted to be hidden in the shadows long before said scouts found the remains of their fellow thug that he'd planted there the night before. He was certain that one of them would be able to give him the information he wanted.

He was five blocks away from his destination when something rippled across the symbiote's alien senses, the odd sensation making Venom pause in mid-step, pale eyes narrowed as he glanced back the way he had come. Suspicion rose in him, and he stepped further into the shadows, talons flexing in mixed preparation and anticipation of a fight. It wouldn't do for someone to spot him and raise the alarm before he reached his chosen hiding place.

The Other's own apprehension vanished seconds later, replaced by a pleased sort of recognition. [ _Stray_.]

"She'd better not be here to fight again," Venom grumbled, backtracking a little until he spotted a side tunnel, symbiote senses pinpointing Stray's movements now that she was within the Other's 'range'. Whatever her reason for being in the tunnels, she was moving quickly, darting through the maze of tunnels and completely bypassing the intersection he was standing at. _Well, it figures that she'd know the layout better than we would_.

Growling softly, he hesitated a moment longer, then turned back towards the fight location, figuring that there was nothing else in the tunnels that Stray would be interested in. Obviously, she must have changed her mind about joining him, though Venom doubted it had been a good decision on her part. She had looked far too tired and drained the night before.

Her presence danced at the edge of his enhanced senses as he continued through the twisted underground tunnels, grumbling under his breath when he realised that Stray was already ahead of him. Making a mental note to ask her to draw him a few maps of the underground fight locations, Venom sped up, loping through the darkness in the hopes that he'd be able to beat her to the trap he'd set up.

Ten minutes later found him crouching amongst the shadows cast by a flickering light, pale eyes and the spider symbol that was stretched across his chest and back faded to a dull grey to better camouflage him. The body of his 'informant' lay in the centre of the cavernous room, neck twisted. The information he'd divulged had earned him a quick death via a snapped neck.

The symbiote sent out little feelers, the dark ribbons swaying slightly as the Other did it's own version of scanning their surroundings, it's curiosity about Stray's location making Venom dart his own gaze around the area. Only once he was sure that only Stray was nearby did he rise out of his predatory crouch and take a step into the dim light. "Stray?"

A soft growl echoed through the tunnel. "Up here."

Curious, he tilted his head back to peer up into the mess of pipes and support beams overhead, blinking when he saw Stray causally stretched out on her stomach across a water main. "We thought you said you couldn't meet us."

Her golden eyes narrowed as she swung herself off the pipe, twisting around a beam before effortlessly dropping down in front of him. Her hair was held back in a loose braid, jeans a faded black, the two layered grey tank tops she wore leaving her arms bare, making the cast on her left arm stand out all the more. "Someone tried to follow me to where the Pack is staying. When he realized that I knew he was there, he pulled a gun on me. I recognised his scent from one of the fights."

An angry growl rumbled out of him as he looked her over anew, trying to see if she had any new bruises - or worse - a bullet wound. "Are you-?"

"I'm fine." She took a small step back, putting distance between them. "He didn't get the chance to pull the trigger. But he had the scents of four others on his clothing, along with the smells of the underground tunnels. I came to see if any of the scents I found on him belong to any of the ones who might show up tonight."

The symbiote could feel the rage that was simmering in her, and Venom had to wonder how she was able to act so calm. He didn't know of anyone - including himself - who could experience that much anger without berzerking. Granted, the way her eyes were flashing from gold to red, he guessed that while her control was strict, it was beginning to slip, just a little.

Wanting to distract her, he gestured to her decorated cast, and the names that were signed there. "Your friends, are they safe?"

Her wolf gave a mental snarl at the idea that she would have left the Pack defenseless and in danger, and Jasmine let the fresh wave of anger pass before answering. "They're fine, if a little annoyed." When he gave her a curious look, she shrugged, picking at the edge of her cast with her taloned nails. "They didn't exactly agree with my decision to come out here."

"Can you blame them?" Venom asked, raising his hands as if to ward off her anger when she glared at him. "It was just last night when you told us that going to the fight ring took a lot out of you."

"That was before my Pack was put in the line of fire," Stray growled, canines bared, golden eyes narrowed. "I'm used to dealing with idiots trying to kill _me_ , but I have no patience when it comes to people putting my Pack's lives at stake. I can't risk the ones who put the price on my head learning of them. They wouldn't stand a chance."

He frowned, suddenly understanding. "So you're taking the fight to the ones responsible for the bounty."

She gave him a feral grin and turned away to look at the 'bait'. "Got it in one. Good boy."

Venom grimaced at the 'good boy' bit. "That's for that 'puppy' comment we made last night, isn't it?"

"Yup."

Trying to hide a smile, he watched her crouch next to the body, unable to keep his gaze from traveling over her form. She was moving and acting differently than the night before. Less human, and more... predatory. Though, once again, Venom thought that she moved more like a cat than a wolf.

He was pulled out of his musings when she gave a low, curious, rumble and ripped a piece of the body's shirt off, holding it up to her nose and breathing deeply. It was only when she growled and tossed the material away that he spoke. "What is it?"

"This one shared a bloodline with my attacker," Stray muttered, wrinkling her nose in distaste. "Cousins, I think. Though this one favored cocaine while the other preferred meth and... other things."

Now _that_ piqued his interest. "You know all that just from scent? Even though he's been dead for over a day?"

"You know how Bloodhounds are heralded as having the best noses in the canine world?" When he nodded, she smirked, one fang peeking out from between her lips. "Well, I'm _better_."

A chuckle left him at the pride in her voice, and he would have given in to Eddie's reporter urge to pepper her with questions had the symbiote not sent a hiss of warning into his thoughts. Instantly on alert, he spun and scowled into an adjacent tunnel, putting an arm out to stop Stray when she tried to step past him. Venom kept her behind him as the Other extended wary pseudopods, the thin black tendrils weaving around him as the alien stretched it's otherworldly senses outward.

Stray's own inhuman senses were just as sharp.

"Footsteps," she murmured, unknowingly echoing the symbiote's mental warning. "Two sets."

"We hear it too." Licking at his fangs in anticipation, Venom turned and peered up at the network of pipes above him, pale eyes narrowing when he spotted a gap that he might be able to squeeze his bulk through. He turned to ask Stray if she needed a boost, blinking at the empty space beside him before jerking his gaze upwards again in time to see her vanish into the shadows. "Well, that answers our question..."

* * *

"C'mon, Larson, hurry the hell up! I don't wanna be down here longer than I have to!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't be such a pussy."

"Oh, fuck you."

"Rather be shot than poisoned, man." There was a pause, then. "Who the fuck is that?"

"I don't know. I thought you said the druggies didn't come down here."

"They _don't_ ," Tony frowned, walking over to the body and using a foot to flip the corpse onto it's back. "Oh, _shit_. It's Jimmy."

"Well, _fuck_." Larson rubbed a hand across his bald, tattooed, head. "Now what do we do?"

"The hell do you think, brainiac? We gotta call off the fight."

" _Shit_. The boss is gonna be _pissed_."

"Better pissed than _dead_. Now c'mon! We have to get our asses out of here in case whoever the fuck killed him comes back."

"Comes back? Christ, Jimmy smells worse than your _breath_. He's been dead for at least a day, judging by how the rats have been eatin' him. The fuck would someone come back for?"

Venom grinned as he twisted his left arm, aiming between the pipes as he shot a webline at 'Larson'. The web hit the man square in the chest, steel strong threads adhering to skin and clothes alike before one hard pull yanked Larson off his feet and headfirst into the lowest water main with a satisfying 'thunk'.

Tony, being the brains of the operation, spun on his heel and bolted for the nearest tunnel. Even with his heart hammering in his chest, he still caught the sound of Larson's body crumpling to the ground, and, closer, the sound of pursuit. It wasn't cops - even the dirtiest cops didn't snap people's necks - which left psycho or someone trying to the boss's turf. Either was a good enough reason to pull his .45 from the waistband of his jeans and blindly shoot at whoever was chasing him.

He was only a few strides from an adjacent tunnel when red hot agony ripped through his left ankle, his leg crumpling under him in mid stride. Screaming, he rolled, wide eyes taking in the hilt of the knife that was protruding from just above his heel, blood already beginning to pool beneath him. The tiny part of his brain that remembered high school muttered something about an Achilles' tendon, while the rest of him merely panicked about not being able to get his foot to move properly. He fumbled in his jacket for a spare clip, hands shaking from a mix of terror, adrenaline and drugs as the glow from a dim, flickering, service light reflected off of a pair of narrowed golden eyes.

Another throwing knife arched out of the darkness, the fresh clip of bullets falling from his fingers when it sunk into his right hand, the hilt nestled in his palm while the blade protruded from the back of his hand. Instinct alone had him using his good leg to push himself backwards when the figure stepped into the light, his gaze darting from those inhuman eyes to the familiar cast. It was the chick that had led Venom to the fight. The one that had betrayed the bosses and gotten a price put on her head as a result.

And she looked pissed.

He was shaking hard by the time she reached him, one black taloned hand fisting into his shirt and lifting him clear off the ground. The effortless move had him gibbering anew - he was almost a foot taller than her, and must have out-weighed her by at least sixty pounds, but there she was, picking him up as if he was as light as air. "S-S-S-tra-" Christ, he couldn't even talk he was so freaked out.

She tilted her head, eyes narrowing. "Stray. You know who I am. Good. You've seen me fight?"

Tony gulped and nodded so fast he got a slight head rush. "Y-Yes."

Sharp fangs were bared in a feral grin as she lowered him and got into his face. "No, you haven't. I was holding back. Good shows bring in good money. Draw it out a little, and the payout gets better and better. I could have killed every one of those idiots the second they stepped into the ring. Now you, you're going to answer some questions. Otherwise-" she rose her other hand and brought her talons up, the tips grazing his cheek and cutting shallow lines into his skin that immediately started to bleed. "I'm going to rip you apart."

When he nodded, Jaz growled and dropped him, her wolf giving a mental howl of approval when he landed on his feet, his left ankle instantly crumpling under his weight. He screamed, and she firmly shoved the knowledge that her Pack would disapprove of her actions into the back of her mind, shaking her head to further dispel the thought.

The girls could disapprove all they wanted, so long as they were _alive_.

Mental debate over, she glanced back over her shoulder, her gaze locking onto a shadow that was darker than the others. "You want first crack at him?"

If Tony hadn't realized how screwed he was, the sight of Venom seemingly appearing out of the darkness drove the revelation home. The massive man - though Tony had his doubts about the 'human' part - towered over him, the muted grey of his eyes and the emblazoned spider across his chest and back regaining it's usual blazing white color as Venom stalked forward to stand next to to Stray. Rows of fangs bared into a horrifying grin, reminding Tony of the stories of what the crazy 'reformed' villain did to anyone he considered guilty of harming 'innocents'.

A lot of those stories had kept him up at night.

Pupilless pale eyes appraised the wounded thug before Venom turned to repeat the action on Stray. "We heard shots."

"I'm fine. His aim sucks."

"Good." He debated whether or not to touch her, before daring to brush the curve of a talon against her bare arm, just above her cast. "We were worried. As for _you_ ," Venom growled, turning to scowl down at 'Tony' who was trying - unsuccessfully - to crawl away from him. "You were merely an annoying means to an end, but now that you've tried to shoot someone we consider to be under our protection... Well, let's just say that this won't bode well for your continued existence."

Jaz, momentarily blindsided by Venom's concern over her, blinked twice before forcing herself to turn her attention back to the task at hand. She'd have plenty of time to grill him over his sudden protectiveness once they were done.

"I want him alive," she growled, meeting Venom's curious gaze when he looked at her. "I want him to take a message to his bosses."

Venom tilted his head to eye the man quivering at his feet, flexing his talons for a moment before grinning. "Well, we suppose that we can restrain ourselves from filleting him," he rumbled, long tongue licking at his fangs as he crouched and harshly yanked at the protruding knife that was sticking out of Tony's hand, waiting until the man had stopped screaming before continuing. "Provided, of course, that he gives us the answers we seek."

Her wolf rose in her again, feral and angry. "You can fillet _parts_ of him," she rumbled, eyes a predatory gold as she frowned down at the man, the sharp stench of his terror making her wrinkle her nose in distaste.

"Oh, we like how you think," Venom grinned, his gaze never leaving that of the man in front of him as he brandished the talons on his left hand and reached out to trail them down 'Tony's' leg, effortlessly shredding his jeans as easy as paper. "Shall we start with your legs? Oooh! Perhaps your right arm? It isn't as if you'll be using that hand for a while-"

"Buh! I-I'll t-t-talk," Tony gibbered, using his good leg to try to push himself away from the duo, unable to stop a high pitched whine from leaving his throat when Venom casually grabbed his good ankle, gave him a grin that had way too many teeth, and yanked him close again...

* * *

It was almost midnight when she finally reached the designated rooftop, her breath leaving her in a sigh as she climbed up the last few rungs of the fire escape and crouched on the raised ledge, delicately taking a sniff of the air. The wind shifted direction, momentarily obscuring the area's scents before she tilted her head to compensate.

The lack of any recent smells made her frown, a low hum of surprise escaping her as she hopped down, her sneakers grating on the gravel rooftop. She was certain that Venom would have gotten to the meeting spot before her...

And a fingertip tapped her on the shoulder from behind.

Instincts instantly took hold. She spun, grabbing the extended wrist, shifting her balance, and flipping whoever it was over her shoulder and slamming them down onto the roof. Wolf gold eyes narrowed as she turned to glare down at the idiot who had snuck up on her, only to blink down at Venom, who was staring up at her in shock.

Shock and shame gripped her. "Venom?! Gods, don't sneak up on me like that!"

He blinked, idly wondering when the last time was that someone had so thoroughly gotten the drop on him. Jasmine was standing over him, a mix of embarrassment and horror on her face.

And then, the absurdity of the moment hit him, and he chuckled.

The rumble of laughter that left him broke the tight knot that had formed in her chest, and Jaz couldn't stop the smile that tugged at her lips as she rose a hand to shove her bangs out of her eyes. "You need a damned bell around your neck."

He snickered. "We're sorry. We didn't mean to startle you. You're fast!"

"Thanks," she retorted dryly, holding her right hand out to him and easily pulling him to his feet when he clasped hands with her. When he looked questioningly down at their hands, she smirked. "I'm also stronger than I look."

Another chuckle left him. "We'll keep that in mind. Are you alright?"

She frowned and hugged herself, eyes rising to lock on the quarter moon that hung low in the night sky.

It had been painfully easy to get Tony to gibber out everything he knew about the fights. Information had spilled out of him almost faster than she could understand; at one point Venom had politely - in that he'd delicately sunk a talon into Tony's thigh - asked the man to slow down. After a few minutes of incoherent gibbering, and the threat of being julienned (whatever _that_ was), he'd slowed his speech down enough that it was understandable.

He'd disclosed dozens of fight locations, names of some of the higher ups in the drug ring, and then he'd told them about the repercussions of her betrayal.

What he'd told them hadn't made her feel better.

"Yeah. Just trying to figure out what I'm going to do. I was expecting some backlash, but I didn't think I'd end up with a hundred thousand dollar bounty on my head." A tired huff of laughter left her. "Don't know whether I should be flattered at the price or insulted that it isn't higher."

A chuckle escaped him as he hopped up to crouch on the a vent adjacent to her, one taloned hand gripping the edge of the metal while he draped his other arm across his left knee. "A little of both, perhaps?"

"Mm."

He gazed at her, letting silence fall over them for a moment before speaking again. "You're not alright, are you?"

She heaved a sigh and closed her eyes, shaking her head tiredly. "Not even close," she admitted, shivering a little in the cool night air before she lowered her arms and pushed away from the vent she had been leaning on. "I'll see you around, Venom."

She's leaving? "Wait!" he blurted, leaping from his perch and twisting in mid-air to land directly in front of her. "Will we... Can we see you again?"

One black eyebrow arched upwards. "Are you asking me out?"

His melded thoughts screeched to a halt when he realized that was exactly what he was doing. "Uhh... yes? We mean... We'd like to get to know you. We can be Eddie for you if you want. We just... You helped us, willingly, even after we mistook you for a... for someone else." Venom mustered up his oddly scattered courage and met her gaze, taking strength by what he saw there. "Everyone else looks at us with fear. But, you're different. We're intrigued by you. More than anyone else we've ever met. You... you're not afraid of us."

"You promised not to harm me and mine, and I took you at your word. I could smell that you, or rather, Eddie, was telling the truth," she told him, smirking when he blinked at her. Trying not to snicker, Jaz folded her arms across her chest and shifted her weight onto her left leg. "What? Do you think I run around helping everyone that chases me across the city? Honestly, Venom, what do you take me for? Some newly-weaned pup out on her first hunt? Please."

He chuckled, pleasantly surprised. "Does that mean you accept our... invitation?"

"My Pack comes first," she warned him. "Their welfare is my priority, especially now that I have a rather large price on my head. I have to make sure that no one from the fights learns of their existence... But, I do want to hunt down the ones responsible for that bounty. If it happens that our paths intersect... well, I won't complain."

"We like how you think," Venom grinned, daring to reach out to flick a lock of hair out of her eyes. "Shall we say, noon-ish, the library, the day after tomorrow? Eddie is planning on digging through the city's records in the hopes of finding a map of the underground tunnels."

She thought about it for a moment before nodding. "I should be able to make it, yes."

"Perfect!"  
.

.

.

tbc


	10. Chapter 10

.

.

.

Sighing heavily, and wondering if she was perhaps a little insane, Jaz shoved her hands into the pockets of her hoodie and effortlessly wove her way along the busy sidewalk. Ever since learning of the bounty on her head, she'd been nervous about going out in the daytime, preferring to stick to the shadows and moonlight. Why she'd agreed to meet Eddie at high noon, she didn't know. Granted, the chance to have a conversation with someone who wasn't a teenager probably had put some influence into her decision.

She loved the girls as if they were her own pups, but teenagers were teenagers, and sometimes, her wolf wanted nothing more than to scruff them and get them to 'shut up just for one minute _please_.' Patience, in other words, was sometimes in short supply.

But, Jaz took the safety of her Pack seriously. And as long as she had a price on her head, the girl's lives were in jeopardy. With wolves, any threat to the Pack, especially to the pups, was quickly hunted down and eliminated. Either forest or concrete jungle, the answer was the same. Track it, hunt it down, and make _certain_ that said danger could never again threaten the lives of the Pack.

 _Except now, I've gone and added Venom to the mix_ , she mused as she sidestepped around a hot dog cart. She was still trying to figure out why her wolf had shifted him from 'potential threat' to 'potential kindred spirit'. Not that she didn't trust her instincts; but all the stories she'd read about him tended to paint him in an uncomplimentary light. It was yet another issue that she had to muddle through. Human knowledge versus wolf instincts that were older than time. _What a mess._

Another sigh left her as she spotted the huge building that housed the library, her gaze darting across the various people milling around the stairs before she spotted Eddie. She had to admit, he wasn't bad looking. Reddish blond hair neatly cut short, blue eyes, strong chin and cheekbones, and a powerhouse's body, sharply dressed in blue jeans, a white tee and a black blazer. Where Jaz was built for speed and agility, he was brute force. Granted, she knew from experience that he was faster than he looked, especially when he was Venom.

Shaking her head to dislodge the still too-fresh memory of him pursuing her through the city, Jasmine jogged across an intersection, mustering up a small smile when Eddie spotted her and waved to get her attention.

"You're late," he greeted her, smiling to let her know he was only teasing as he held a paper coffee mug out to her. "Coffee?"

"I had to double back a few times to make sure I wasn't being followed," she explained, quirking a brow as she accepted the drink from him - taking a discreet sniff, just in case - and sipped at it curiously, smiling at the rich flavor. "Mm. Thanks."

"Figured we should bring a peace offering, just in case," he said, leaning against one of the railings that framed the stairs as he gave her a quick once-over. "You look tired."

She rose her right shoulder in a shrug. "I've been keeping watch while the Pack sleeps. I got a few hours in this morning, though." A smirk tugged at her lips as she took another drink of blessed caffeine. "And this is my fourth cup of coffee."

Worry made him straighten out of his casual stance. "Stray, that's... Did you eat at least?"

"Jasmine."

Eddie frowned, the symbiote sharing his confusion. "Pardon?"

"It's my name," she explained, finding herself avoiding his gaze and wondering if he knew it was a sign of her anxiety and uncertainty. "'Stray' is... well, it's never been a name. It came in useful for the fights, though."

"Jasmine, hm? Pretty name for a wolf."

Jaz quirked a brow at him, surprised by his flirting. "One of my Pack gave it to me. I... didn't really have a name before I got to San Francisco."

Aware that he seemed to be treading on a sensitive topic, Eddie didn't push any further, and instead gestured to a nearby canteen. "Are you hungry? We have plenty of time. The Library's open until nine."

Her wolf perked at the mention of food, and Jasmine did her best to hide her interest in the tempting smells that instantly moved to the forefront of her attention. It was second nature for her to use snark to try to mask the predatory instincts that rose in her. "Planning on wining and dining me before you pick my brain for information?"

"Coffee and a couple of hot dogs are hardly what we consider 'wining and dining'," he chuckled as he ushered her down the stairs. "Though we may take you up on that on a later date."

And damned if her wolf didn't prick her metaphorical ears up at that. "Like a 'date', date?"

He paused, and eyed her, feeling the Other impercievably shift across his shoulders as it shared his nervousness. He wasn't stupid. He _was_ attracted to her, as was the symbiote - otherwise 'Venom' wouldn't have given her a second look. But, Eddie was very aware of how lousy his track record was when it came to relationships...

But Stray - no, _Jasmine_ \- certainly wasn't like any other woman he'd ever met. _And she's not afraid of us. Even when we're Venom, we haven't sensed any fear in her, not after we apologized for chasing her across half the city_. And really, for her to even think about forgiving him after that little fiasco, was amazing. If not downright miraculous.

The symbiote gave him a mental nudge, jerking his attention back to the present and to the woman that was frowning at him in mixed curiosity and concern. He'd frozen like a deer in the headlights, torn between wanting to say 'yes', and the memories of all the tragedy that inevitably followed any relationship he tried to form.

Something must have shown on his face, or maybe Jasmine could smell his uncertainty and confusion. He could only watch as the curiosity on her face faded and was replaced by calm understanding. That alone threw him for a whole new loop. _Who_ _ **is**_ _this woman?_

"One day at a time, then?" Jasmine offered, ignoring her wolf's baffled mental whine as she carefully shifted her weight in an attempt to give off a calm, understanding, vibe. If he'd been a wolf, she'd have bunted her shoulder against his and nudged his muzzle with hers in an attempt to reassure and ease the sudden wave of nervous fear that had gripped him. She didn't _understand_ the shift of emotions she scented from him, though. Her teasing must have accidentally treaded on some sensitive territory.

"Sorry," Eddie muttered, avoiding her gaze. "It isn't that we... _I_ don't want to. It's just... old ghosts."

A tired smirk tugged at the corners of her mouth as she finished her coffee. "Pesky little bastards, aren't they?"

He echoed her dry mirth. "You have no idea," he sighed, frowning at the steps under his feet before he gave himself a little shake and rose his gaze to meet hers. "The offer of lunch is still open."

She'd be a very dead wolf before she turned down the offer of food. "Sure. And then you can explain this 'we' thing you have going on. That's been driving me nuts for _days_."

Eddie chuckled. "Deal."

* * *

"So, let me get this straight. You're permanently bonded to a sentient alien 'symbiote', which not only masquerades as your clothes, but it also allows the two of you to morph into..." Jaz paused, sent a glance at the throng of people milling nearby, and altered her sentence. "Into _him?_ And I thought dealing with my wolf was complicated."

"It took some getting used to," Eddie agreed before taking another bite of his hot dog - firmly ignoring his Other's low opinion of the junk food. "We made plenty of mistakes when we were... young. Newly bonded."

She mulled that over for a bit as she finished her second hot dog, licking mustard off her fingers afterwards. "I have enough of a hard time with my wolf instincts nattering on in the back of my mind. Two sentient beings sharing one form... that's patience."

"It isn't as troublesome as you'd think," he told her, taking heart in the genuine curiosity in her eyes. Curiosity, not revulsion, or fear. "The symbiote, it isn't something invasive. It sought to belong, to live in balance with another. When we're as you see now, _I'm_ more in control. In the ' _other_ ' form, the symbiote is at the forefront."

"Huh. And all that talk in the papers is..."

He grimaced. "True enough, if a little exaggerated. We do have a vendetta with Spider-Man for... personal reasons. As we said, we made plenty of mistakes when we were newly bonded. Our rage blinded us. We came to San Francisco to make a fresh start."

"Lethal Protector. Yeah, I read about that. Not that I don't approve." Jaz smirked at his look of surprise and casually tossed her used napkin into a nearby garbage can. "Wolf, remember? I do happen to understand the lure of wanting to permanently remove any threat to the lives of those I've decided to protect."

Her easy acceptance and understanding threw him for another loop. "You keep surprising us," Eddie admitted as he took a drink from his soda. "Most people are afraid of us. Of what we are and what we do."

"I'm not most people," she reminded him, quirking a brow when he held his soda out to her offeringly. "I'm not human. Never was, never will be. And, no, thank you. The bubbles make my nose itch."

He chuckled at how she wrinkled her nose, sensing that telling her now cute the expression was would be detrimental to his health. Instead, he gulped down the rest of his drink, tossed the cup into the garbage, then gestured to the Library. "Alright then. Shall we?"

"Are we even allowed access to the maps of the underground tunnels?" she asked as they ascended the stairs, ducking past him when Eddie held the door open for her. "Wouldn't it be better to come back, uh, _later?_ "

"Most blueprints of the City's infrastructure, both above ground and below, are available to the public, if you know where to look."

Jaz smiled at the Librarian at the front counter as they passed, before turning her attention back to Eddie. "And you know where to look." It wasn't a question.

"Yes. We, um... _I_ , was a journalist, before I bonded with the symbiote. I majored in it at University. Had a job at a newspaper in New York before..." He frowned, and shook his head, unwilling to delve into the dark places of his past. "Well, just before."

Even a dead wolf would have been able to sense the turmoil that was rising in him. "Fair enough," Jasmine murmured, deciding to steer the conversation onto safer territory as she gestured for him to precede her. "You think the records go back far enough to cover even the older tunnels? Because the newer subways have turned most of the older ones into a bloody mess. There's even some caved-in parts that are so old they've lost all scents of the surrounding tunnels."

"They're probably remnants of the earthquake," he told her, glancing back at her when she loosed an odd hum of curiosity. "The big earthquake? Of nineteen-oh-six?"

She blinked, then shrugged. "Okay."

"You didn't know?"

"History wasn't on the list of things I thought I needed to know when I adopted a human Pack," Jasmine admitted, idly picking at her cast as she avoided his gaze. "I stuck to memorizing first aid, medicines, herbal remedies, nutrition, that sort of stuff."

Shock rippled through him and the symbiote. "You... taught yourself? All of that?"

Jaz shrugged, talons digging deeper into the edge of her cast. "Didn't have much of a choice. No one else was going to teach me."

"How long did it take you?"

"Took me a few weeks to memorize everything."

He paused in mid-step and turned to look at her. "A few _weeks?_ "

She tilted her head to the side. "Is that bad?"

" _Bad?_ " Suddenly, he realized how she was standing, the shadows in her eyes, saw her nervously picking at her cast. She really didn't realize how smart she was. "On the contrary, Jasmine. It takes most people years of studying to understand just one of those topics, never mind memorize them."

"...Oh."

Eddie watched as her brows drew together, watched as she digested what he'd just told her. God, had she thought she was stupid? _She's so smart. Smart and funny and beautiful. Yeah. We're in trouble._

"Come on," he smiled, coaxing her forward. "The City Records archive is just around the corner."

Quirking a brow at the conflicting scents she could read off of him - a confusing mix of attraction, fear and admiration - Jasmine pushed her curiosity aside and followed him through another batch of stacks and to the far side of the Library. Nestled amongst bookcases of law books and a small scale model of the city's Golden Gate Bridge under a glass case, was a huge wall of oddly shaped drawers.

It was to these that Eddie went to, pulling one large drawer open after another, until he made a satisfied noise and lifted a big, flat, book. The smell of dust, age and various types of ink floated over to her as he carefully set his prize down onto a nearby table and started to flip through the huge pages. She caught glimpses of various maps and blueprints, cross-sections of underground subway stations and proposed tunnels.

"They smell old." Her almost uncontrollable curiosity drew her closer, eyes easily spotting the creases and small tears in the paper. "Are they safe to touch?"

"They look older than they are because of the wear and tear that comes with public access. These are replicas. Copies." Eddie told her while he continued to look for the correct page. "The City and the Library Archives knew that while they had to make these available to the public, that the older maps were far too valuable to risk being destroyed by a careless researcher. So, they had replicas made, and distributed to City Hall and the Library, while keeping the originals safely locked away. Ah. Here we go."

"Wow," Jaz murmured as she dropped down onto a chair, staring at the map that Eddie was studying. "It looks so much more complicated on paper."

"Most blueprints do," he chuckled, smoothing a hand across the page. A tiny thought passed between himself and the Other had the symbiote reforming a pocket on the inside of his 'blazer', allowing him to retrieve the notepad and pen he'd brought along.

She glanced from him to the complex-looking map, then back again. "Wouldn't it be easier if I just brought you down here and showed you were the various fight locations are?"

"No. You're far more familiar with the tunnels than we are. Even with the marks we scratched into the walls after scouting some of them, it was difficult for us to find our way. We'll remember this," he tapped the map. "Far better than anything else."

He got an uncertain look in reply. "If you say so."

Another chuckle left him at her doubtful tone. "Trust us, Jasmine. We can't continue to impose on you to guide us through the tunnels. This way, we can scout them at our leisure."

Her wolf gave an agreeing mental rumble. "Alright, alright. But this... this is new to me. I don't know-"

"We'll walk you through it." When she folded her arms across her chest and eyed the map as if it was something that was liable to jump up and try to kill her, Eddie shook his head and moved around the table to claim the chair next to her. "You're a quick study, Jasmine. And we've done this before. It'll work."

She frowned at him, then huffed in resignation. "Okay. What do you want to know?"

.

.

.

tbc


	11. Chapter 11

.

.

.

"I hate maps."

Two hours of pouring over maps and trying to overlay what she knew of the tunnels with the harsh lines on paper had given her a headache and ramped her irritation up into near-dangerous levels. It was almost impossible to translate the mental map she had of the underground into something as unforgiving as a picture. There was no way for her to properly explain the specific sounds or smells that helped guide her through the tunnels, onto the map. More than once, she'd had to just close her eyes and block out everything but Eddie's questions, relaying directions and markers by memory alone.

Eddie laughed as Jasmine dropped her head to thunk her forehead against the tabletop, her aggravated groan pulling a subvocal snicker from the symbiote. What he wasn't expecting was for her to raise a hand a flip him off. "Hey!"

"You tell your 'wardrobe' to shut up," she grumbled, raising her head to peer at him from behind her bangs. At his baffled look, she smirked, fangs bared. "I heard that little snicker it made. You really need to read up on wolves. Or just canines in general. My hearing range is much wider than a humans."

The symbiote's interest perked, taking the information as a challenge as it loosed a subvocal growl of curiosity, followed by a questioning croon that had Eddie quirking a mental brow at his Other's excitement. _Easy. I really don't want to frighten her away._

An amused hissing laugh echoed through his mind when Jasmine grinned and asked if the symbiote's noises came with a dictionary. [ _We like this one. She's different. Special. She calls to us_.]

 _You said that before. What does that mean?_ Out loud, he chuckled and shook his head. "Sorry. No dictionary available," he told her with a smile. "Lucky for you, that I don't mind translating. It likes that you can hear it, and it's very curious about you. We both are."

She smirked at that and shifted to lean back in her chair, idly scratching at an itch at the edge of her cast. "But?"

"But... we don't want to push. We know there are things that you can't talk about. Honestly, we... _I._..." His breath left him in a sigh as he shook his head, dropping his gaze from hers as a sudden wash of uncertainly took hold. "But, maybe it would be better if this is our last meeting. We don't want to be responsible for you getting hurt."

[ _What?!_ ]

While the symbiote's dismayed and angry tone rebounded against the inside of his head, Jasmine loosed an annoyed chuff of air and leaned forward, her green eyes slowly changing to a bright wolf-gold.

"That's a load of shit and you know it. I'm going to let you in on a secret, Eddie. Wolves largely communicate with body language, scent and vocal cues. You want to quit meeting, fine. But, don't try to mask it behind some half-assed lie about my wellbeing. I know that you're interested in me, and I know that you're fighting with yourself about it, Eddie. _You_ , not the symbiote. I can't read it - it's scent is too alien, too confusing. But, you, I can read _you_. And I don't appreciate being lied to."

She drank in his look of shock before getting to her feet, fighting to push down her irritation with humanity and it's tendency to say one thing while wanting another. It was baffling, completely alien to her, more alien than the symbiote was.

Her annoyance boiled over, making her lean down to get into Eddie's face, scowling into his blue eyes. "This is one thing I'll _never_ understand about humans. You have some sort of weird, ingrained, backwards habit to say and do one thing, while wanting the complete opposite. You lie to each other, every day, about everything, while denying what your hearts and instincts cry out for. It's _maddening_. Everything I've read off of you says that you want to form a friendship with me, that you see something in me that interests you, and yet you want to deny it because of what? Fear? Uncertainty? That isn't living. You're caging yourself, even while you try to free yourself from that cage that you've built. I don't understand it. I'll _never_ understand it."

With a low growl, Jaz rocked back onto her heels and turned to leave. "You figure out what you want, Eddie Brock. When you do, maybe our paths will cross again. Good luck with the drug ring."

Stunned, and idly musing that no one had dared to scold him like that in well over a decade, Eddie hesitated a moment too long. By the time he'd gotten to his feet and moved to the bookcase she'd ducked behind, she was gone. A quick dash to the front of the library proved that she'd slipped away, much to the symbiote's annoyance. _What's worse, is that she's right._

[ _We can catch up to her. We can sense her still._ ] The symbiote moved across his back, making little twitches that he'd long ago learned meant that it was getting impatient with him.

But instead of following the Other's urgings, Eddie turned to head back to where he'd left the map, and his notes. After everything he'd been through - after everything _they'd_ been through - maybe letting her go before either of them got too attached to her was best. _We have a bad habit of hurting those we allow close to us_ , he mused sullenly, thoughts inexorably drifting back to his failed relationships, the sorrowful emotions that the memories brought up pulling an echoing shiver of pain from the symbiote. _We..._ _ **I**_ _don't know if I can go through that again. I don't know if I can live with someone else I care about hating and fearing us._

[ _Giving up is not in our nature_ ,] the symbiote murmured into it's host's mind as it mentally soothed the emotional pain in Eddie's thoughts. [ _Neither is hiding from the obstacles that appear before us. What life will we lead if we give up before we even try?_ ]

"What life indeed," Eddie murmured under his breath as he came to a stop in front of the table where, only minutes ago, he'd been talking to Jasmine. But, his Other had a point, and a very good one at that. Wallowing in self pity wasn't going to do either of them any good.

And, if he was going to be honest with himself, he'd enjoyed her company. She had a sharp mind, tempered with compassion and a wonderful sense of humor. The fact that she wasn't in the least bit afraid of him and the symbiote, or 'Venom' was simply amazing. But, then again, it wasn't as if she was like anyone else he'd met.

The Other gave an agreeing hiss. [ _This, 'Stray', this Jasmine. She is different. She is... like us, in a way. Predator and protector._ ] It made an invisible flutter against it's human half's shoulders, trying to ease Eddie's confusion. [ _She is a kindred spirit._ ]

He frowned down at the notepad in his hands, blinking at the small, neat, scrawl at the bottom of his notes. _When did she...? She gave us her phone number?_ Unbidden, a small laugh escaped him as he shook his head, a mix of amazement and relief spreading through him. _Well. That answers that, now doesn't it?_

 _Humans, so backwards_. Shaking her head in mixed amusement and frustration, Jasmine paused at a crosswalk and idly watched the traffic while she waited for the light to change. While she somewhat understood the reason behind someone's flipflopping, to her wolf instincts, it was yet another headache she had to contend with. Why deny what you felt? Why did people constantly muddle things up by lying to each other? Even if was with the intention of protecting someone, a lie was still a lie.

Wolves were so much more open with each other than humans. Maybe that was the problem. There was no hiding your emotions when everyone around you could tell the truth of things via your body language and scent. As far as she knew, humans didn't have even a quarter of her ability to process all the scents around them. Their instincts were dulled by time, too much time spent in their cities and 'industry' and not enough time spent in nature, surrounded by trees and forests.

That didn't excuse her snippy attitude however. No matter how often her wolf forgot that she was interacting with humans, it wasn't an excuse for her to lose her temper. She _had_ to remind herself that the people around her had no clue of who and what she was. She couldn't expect them to change who they were, and how they acted, just to appease her irritation. Jaz had done her best to adapt to her human Pack and human surroundings - it was irksome to realize that she still had a lot to learn.

The light changed, the sudden departure of the crowd around her jolting her out of her thoughts. Inwardly grimacing that she'd allowed herself to lose track of her surroundings, Jasmine hurried across the intersection, her gaze darting around her as she took stock of what she'd missed.

Nothing really stood out. Just people going about their day. But after a few minutes of calmly walking along the sidewalk, something started to make her metaphorical hackles bristle. Instantly on alert, she quickened her stride, delicately sniffing at the air as she headed for the nearest alleyway. There were hundreds of scents, and even with her wolfish ability to effortlessly catalogue and sift through the deluge, it was almost half a minute before the tang of drugs, sharp scent of a badly maintained gun, and the musty smell of the tunnels came into sharp focus.

 _Well, shit. Can't even escape these losers in the daytime._ Jasmine let out a chuff of annoyance and started to work her way through the crowd, slowly moving closer to the buildings she was passing, and the upcoming alleyway. _If my mental map is still correct, this next building should have a fire escape. If I can get to the rooftops, I'll be able to circle around and pinpoint my newest smelly annoyance. Bleh. Don't these idiots ever wash?_

Wrinkling her nose at the acrid stink that was following her, she rolled her shoulders in an effort to loosen tense muscles, and, when the crowd was thick enough to hide her movements, quickly sidestepped into the alley. As soon as she was in the lee of the building, Jaz dashed towards the overhanging fire escape, judging the height of the lowest landing before she gathered her strength and leapt.

The palm of her right hand slapped into the metal railing, her fingers immediately curling around it as she used her only good arm to haul herself up and over, sneakers clanging on the rusty metal. It was simple after that, to dart up the stairs and climb up the ladder, only relaxing once she was safely on the roof. _I'll be so glad when I can get rid of this cast. Stupid arm._

After sending a glare at her offending left arm, and the heavy, bulky cast that encased it from elbow to wrist, Jasmine turned to peer down into the alleyway, quirking a brow at the bewildered looking man. He barely looked like a threat. Young, far too thin, and a little unsteady, though his bulky jean jacket could have been hiding more than one weapon.

There was a moment where she was seriously debating simply jumping off the roof and landing on him before she sighed and shook her head, pushing away from the raised ledge. Now that she was on the roof, he wasn't a threat. He couldn't reach the fire escape she'd used without a ladder, and that was assuming he'd figure out where she'd vanished to. Humans had a bad habit of never looking _up._

Another sigh left her as she moved to the opposite edge of the roof she was on, peering at the gap between her building and the next one. With a low huff, Jaz took a few steps back, then rushed forward, feeling her wolf stretch within her as she leapt into the air.

She was in midair when a shot rang out. Instinct and her subconscious had her twisting - ears having located where the shot came from, nose smelling the burst of gun powder - the bullet lancing across her right cheek, just under her eye. Her landing left a lot to be desired, her mid air acrobatics had altered her trajectory. Her left foot caught the edge of the roof, and she hit hard, biting back a howl as she crashed, her full weight landing on her left arm before she tumbled across the rooftop and skidded to a stop next to an exhaust fan. _Impossible. That guy couldn't have known... Two. There must be two..._

Cursing, her breath hissed between her teeth as she struggled to absorb the new pain that was shooting up her left arm. Whimpers escaped her as she rolled onto her right side and curled up, her left arm held securely in the curve of her body. It didn't help that her new cut on her face was being pressed against the sharp edges of the gravel she was lying on - but in the whole scheme of things, it was a tiny pain compared to her arm.

Her wolf rose in her, making her skin burn as she struggled to contain her feral side while stubbornly fighting the urge to throw up. Panting, Jaz shifted, getting her knees under her, her forehead digging into the gravel when a dizzy burst kept her from trying to get upright. _Get up_. Her body felt far away and unresponsive. _Get. Up. Danger. No time. Two enemies, circling, hunting, biting. Get. Up!_

A gasp left her as she, in a burst of adrenaline, shoved herself up, glazed golden eyes taking stock of her surroundings. Still alone, but she could hear footsteps on metal stairs, signifying that someone was racing up a fire escape. Her wolf took control, forcing her to her feet, a growl leaving her when she swayed unsteadily, stumbling sideways. The sickly copper smell of blood made her scrub at her face with the back of her right hand, nose wrinkling in distaste when all she managed to do was smear dirt and blood across her cheek. _No time. No time. Run. Have to run. Threat closing in, smell him, hear him._

Growling now, a low, deep rumble of sound, Jasmine gave her head a violent shake, as if to force her thoughts back into order, before turning towards the next roof she had to leap to. Distance was safety. It took a few stumbling steps before she found her stride, sneakers pounding across the gravel as she pushed herself into a full run. Muscles bunched, senses sharpened, wild instincts taking over.

She fairly flew across the next gap, wolf-eyes already mapping out a rough path that would allow her to circle around and out-flank her pursuers. A series of four more jumps, and she was in position, hidden by an air-conditioning unit and peering in between some piping, her gaze locking onto the two forms that were milling around on the rooftop she'd been on only moments before.

The young one was there, along with the second that she'd overlooked, an older, bulkier man, with faded tattoos covering his arms, a bald head and a trimmed black beard. Being downwind of them gave her a noseful of his alcohol-doused scent. Alcohol, sex and aggression, a mix that she'd smelled a lot since moving into the city. But he moved differently than the younger one. More self assured, calmer, even as he continuously scanned the surrounding rooftops. _Ah. A would-be hunter._

Her wolf let out a mental chuff of amusement as Jaz watched the two men continue trying to spot where she'd gone to. _Like pups chasing their own tails._ She shifted her stance, breathing deep as she prepared to vault the rooftops and attack, senses locked onto her prey...

And a thud sounded from behind her.

Teeth bared in a snarl, Jasmine spun, her right arm shooting out, talons gleaming as she swiped at the cause of the sound, right at stomach level, fully intending to gut the idiot who'd dared to sneak up on her - except an inky black, taloned, hand deflected her attack, fingers closing on her wrist.

"Well, nice to see you too, puppy."

She blinked, nose and eyes recognizing the familiar black and white 'costumed' form. "Venom? What-?"

 _Click._

"Down!" The sound of a gun cocking gave her enough time to yank Venom off balance, saving him from taking the first shots in the face as the humans on the opposite roof opened fire, the elder of the two using some sort of automatic rifle. Bullets ricocheted off the ventilation ducts, and Jaz let out a gasp of pain when Venom rolled them so they were protected by the huge air conditioning unit. "Ow! Fuck! Watch the arm, watch the arm!"

He grimaced, quickly scrambling in front of her and raising his right arm, the symbiote forming a black shield to block any chance of a stray bullet hitting her. "We let you out of our sight for twenty minutes and you go and have fun without us?"

"Oh, yeah, 'cause I'm having _so_ much fun," she drawled, rubbing the back of her right hand across the still bleeding cut on her cheek before trying to sneak a glimpse of the shooters, jerking back when a bullet hit the gravel at her feet. "I didn't think they'd be stupid enough to do this during the day."

"One hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money," he retorted, peering around the symbiote sheild and inwardly cursing when he saw one man reload while the other kept shooting. A more professional move than the usual antics he'd seen other thugs use.

Jasmine grimaced and pressed her back against the air conditioner. "So, stupid pays. Is that what you're telling me?"

A chuckle rumbled out of him. "It's an unfortunate truth," Venom agreed, eyeing her worriedly when he saw how pale she was. "Are you alright?"

"Peachy." Ignoring his unimpressed look, Jaz crawled to the opposite edge of the air conditioner and cast a quick look at the opposite roof. "I don't think they saw you. If you can get to the alleyway, you can out flank them."

It was a good plan. "What about you?"

She glanced around, then used her right hand to rip a brick out of the nearby ledge. "I'll keep them busy," she smirked, trusting her hearing to help her aim as she quickly edged out of cover and chucked the brick at the shooters, grinning ferally when one screamed, the dual noise of gunshots falling to just one.

Venom chuckled. "We like how you think!" He paused long enough to add a few carefully placed webs between the ventilation ducts, hoping they'd be strong enough to deflect any stray bullets in his absence. "Stay safe, Jasmine. We'll be quick."

"Take all the time you need," she said as he turned to wall crawl off the roof and down the building's wall, waiting until he'd gotten out of the way before prying up another brick. "I've got plenty of bricks."

Hefting her newest weapon, Jaz closed her eyes, waited until she'd mentally chosen her target, then blindly launched the brick over the edge of the air conditioning unit, chuckling when a yelped sounded, followed by some cursing. _Try to shoot me, huh, asshole? Wait until you see who's coming after you now!_

Sure enough, less than a minute after Venom had left, there was a duet of screams that had nothing to do with blunt force trauma via brick, and everything to do with the fact that - from the sound of things - someone was beating them within an inch of their lives.

"All clear!" Venom called as he dropped the unconscious man he was holding onto the second shooter, who was quite dead - broken backs tended to do that. Movement from the other rooftop drew his attention, his gaze fixing onto Jasmine as she jumped across the alley and silently landed in front of him. He didn't miss how pale she went when the landing jarred her left arm, which she was holding tight to her side. "Jasmine, your arm-"

She waved his concern aside. "It's already in a cast, there's nothing more to be done about it." Sighing, she eyed the two men who had been hunting her, a small part of her glad to see that the younger of the two was still alive. The elder one was sprawled to her left, the odd angle of his lower body screaming of a deliberately broken back. Distantly, she could hear sirens approaching, the high pitched noise already beginning to give her a headache.

Curious, she crouched and checked the elder one's pockets, growling softly when she found a grainy picture of herself from one of the fights. "Dammit. I didn't know they were taping those fights."

Venom took the photo from her, studying it for a moment before flipping it over to peer at the badly scrawled writing. "Full description, places where you've been sighted. Hm. They've put the price up by another hundred thousand."

A tired sigh left her as she straightened. " _Joy_." She scrubbed at her face again, ignoring the sting that followed. "We should get out of here. The cops are three blocks away."

"Right." He made sure each body had it's respective gun, then webbed them all up, dragging the two forms over and hanging them off the edge of the roof. "Done. Let's go."

Jasmine blinked as he held a hand out to her, his other arm rising to shoot a webline out to an adjacent building. "Um..."

The uncertain look in her eyes made him rush to reassure her. "We won't drop you, Jasmine. We _promise_."

She hesitated a moment longer, then swallowed her fear and stepped forward to place her right hand in his. The little ball of tension in her chest loosened a little at the pleased grin he gave her, and she let him wrap his arm around her waist and tuck her close before he stepped off the roof.

Instinct and the ingrained fear of falling had her curling her good arm around his neck, clinging to him as Venom shot them across the street, sent out another web, then swung them around a building at a speed usually reserved for airplane takeoffs.

The barely muffled whine that escaped her throat made Venom wince. "Calm, Jasmine. We have you. You're safe. Trust us." When she managed a shaky nod, he tightened his hold on her and slowed his speed a little. "Don't look straight down. Look ahead. That's it. Better?"

"Y-Yeah." It took her another couple of minutes to acclimate, but once she'd adapted, she had to admit that it was a hell of a way to travel. Her wolf's innate curiosity soon took over, and once it did, she quickly began to understand the mechanics behind Venom's webslinging. Though her mental map of the city did struggle to keep up with his speed. "Where are we going?"

He turned his head to look at her, rumbling in pleasure when he saw that the fear was gone from her eyes. "The Park. We thought you'd appreciate a familiar place."

The thoughtful gesture surprised her. "...Thank you, Venom."

"For you? Anytime."

.

.

.

tbc


	12. Chapter 12

.

.

.

Venom found them a secluded bench in the middle of the arboretum, scooping Jasmine into both arms as he dropped from twenty feet up in a tree. The landing was effortless, and he took pride in the fact that she wasn't frightened anymore as he carried her over to the bench and gently sat her down on it. "There. Now, let us see your arm. You're still far too pale for our liking. What happened? They didn't _shoot_ you, did they?"

"No. No, nothing so drastic." Jaz sighed and rubbed at her cheek again, avoiding his gaze as he moved to crouch in front of her. "It's my fault. I was sloppy. I only scented one of them. The first one flushed me out, up onto the roof. The second must have been waiting. I was in mid jump between rooftops when I heard the shot. I dodged, but it cost me: I didn't 'land' so much as 'crash'."

A low, angry, growl rumbled out of him. "We were coming to find you - our other half, Eddie, wanted to apologize for before. We didn't mean to upset you, and now we wonder if we would have been able to prevent this if we'd been with you."

There was a moment where she wanted to argue, but she let it pass. "People are always going to come after me," Jasmine replied. "Believe it or not, but I am capable of taking care of myself."

"We believe it," he assured her. "But, it doesn't change the fact that we have an aversion to seeing those we want to protect in pain."

She quirked an eyebrow at him. "You want to protect me?"

Her surprise pulled his thoughts away from her injuries, an amused chuckle leaving him as he replied. "Do you think we show interest in every pretty thief that crosses our path?" Venom teased, grinning when she blinked in surprise. "Besides, you're the one who gave _us_ your phone number."

"It was a hint."

"A hint?"

"For you... er, _Eddie_ , to quit second guessing himself." Jaz gently flexed her left hand, glad the tingling was fading from her fingers. "I also don't understand why you feel as if you have to take responsibility for any scrapes I have now, or will have in the future. I've survived more than you can imagine. A broken arm and a few cuts are nothing."

"It isn't that," Venom told her, as he cradled her left hand in both of his, taloned fingers carefully checking her hand and wrist for any damage. "We... we've lost friends because of what we are. We're hated and feared, and a target. People have gotten caught in the crossfire, friends have become terrified of us, of what we are, symbiote and host."

"Venom, you're still thinking of me as a human. My wolf is beginning to view you as a sort of kindred spirit." Her wolf gave an inquisitive yip into her thoughts as she leaned forward to rest her right hand on his chest, just over his heart, smiling a little at the shocked look he gave her, as if no one had ever been brave enough to actually _touch_ him before. "I don't hate you, I'm not afraid of you, and I'm quite capable of handling myself in any sort of crossfire."

A moment of silence passed before Venom chuckled, daring to reach out to flick her bangs out of her eyes. "Kindred spirits, hm?" When she merely quirked her lips in a smile, he grinned. "Thank you, Jasmine. That means more to us than you realize."

"You're welcome," she murmured, wincing a little when he turned his attention back to her left arm, dark talons checking to make sure her cast was intact before he gave her arm, just below her elbow, an investigative squeeze. "Okay, that hurts."

He loosed a low rumble of concern. "Your arm's swollen. You may have re-broken your arm. We don't know if we can fix this, Jasmine. We might have to bring you to a hospital."

"No! Gods, no." A shiver of revulsion ran down her spine. The hospital had stunk of death and sickness and sharp medicines. It had made her stomach turn and made her wolf antsy and on edge. "I'd rather never experience going to a hospital again, thank you very much. It's... Well, my arm hurts like hell, but it'll heal. Eventually."

"If the bone has been jarred out of place, it won't heal properly."

She mulled that over for a moment before meeting his gaze. "Can your... can the symbiote tell?"

Venom favored her with an amused smirk. "You're not going to try to hit us again, are you?" he teased, chuckling when she rolled her eyes at him. Buoyed by her reaction, symbiote tendrils extended into her cast, alien senses taking note of the new bruising, and deeper, an aggravated injury. "You're... lucky. You've re-broken your arm, but the cast kept the bones in place. The pain is because when you 'crashed', as you put it, you bruised your arm."

Jaz's lips twitched into a tired smile. "Better than the alternative, I suppose."

The symbiote, not liking the pain it sensed from her, rechecked her arm a final time to make certain that the bone was truly, properly, set, and only when it was satisfied did it retreat, the tendril returning to Venom's synoptic skin. "We suggest that you stay out of fights for a while."

A weak laugh left her. "Yeah. Like that'll happen."

"You can't blame us for trying," he murmured, casting a suspicious look at their surroundings before he moved to sit next to her, anxiety lessening when she didn't shy away. "Our other half wants to see you, is that alright?"

"Stupid questions will get you shoved off this bench."

Her snarky retort pulled a chuckle from him, and Venom dared to brush the curve of a talon across her cheek before he relinquished control to Eddie, allowing his human half to take over.

Eddie sighed as he rolled his shoulders, rubbing a hand over his face and frowning at the feel of stubble against his palm. Once the slight disorientation passed, he turned towards Jasmine, who was blinking up at him curiously. "Hi."

A tired smile tugged at her lips. "Hey."

The symbiote shifted around him, forming the guise of boots, blue jeans and a black tee shirt while he rose his arm and brushed his curled fingers across Jasmine's cheek. "We- _I'm_ sorry, about what happened in the Library," he murmured, relaxing a little when she didn't shy away.

"S'okay. I figured I'd hear from you sooner or later," she drawled, smirking when he laughed, a nice, easy, relaxed sound.

"Well, the phone number was a rather unsubtle hint."

Jaz smiled and carefully rotated her left wrist, wincing a little at the ache there. "I don't have the patience for subtlety."

"Good to know." Taking a chance, he reached across and took her left hand in both of his, taking the opportunity to curiously study her; a brief brush of his thumb against her palm found that the skin there felt thicker, but soft. Talons grew in place of fingernails, tips slightly dulled, though he guessed that it was the strength he felt in the tendons and muscles of her hand that made the black claws dangerous.

He felt her eyes on him, and rose his gaze to hers. Her eyes, though a calm green and not that of a wolf gold, were those of an animal. A predator. Intelligent, watchful, and very curious. Slowly, giving her every chance to pull away, Eddie rose a hand to her face, lightly grazing his curled fingers under the shallow cut on her cheek. "Kindred spirits, hm? You know, my Other said the exact same thing."

"Two against one," she teased, lightly leaning her face into his touch, a wolf mannerism that was meant to show trust. "You're in trouble."

Another chuckle left him. How long had it been since he'd laughed? "Looks like it," he agreed, tucking her hair behind her slightly pointed right ear before brushing his fingers across her cheek, feather-light. "We want to see you again."

"I don't think my Pack is going to let me out the door for a few days," she warned. "And I don't like knowing that the ones that are hunting me are bold enough to come after me in daylight."

"We're not too fond of that either. You keep getting hurt around us, Jasmine."

She frowned at the shadow in his eyes. "Eddie, if we're going to work together, there can't be any double standards between us."

He eyed her a little warily. "Double standards?"

"I'm going to get hurt from time to time," she said, letting her wolf rise to the surface so that her eyes glowed gold for a moment. "I'm a wolf, a predator. I'll never shy away from a fight, especially if my Pack is in danger. You can no more expect me to go against my nature than I can expect you to stop protecting people."

"You don't have a symbiote to protect you from bullets," he murmured. "Or to heal you when you get hurt."

A wry, humorless smile tugged at her lips. "I'm made of sterner stuff than a human, Eddie. My arm? Even re-broken, I'll be out of this cast in under two weeks. I've been shot, stabbed, hit by a car... Hell, I've survived things that would horrify you. I know my limits. Trust me to know when I'm close to reaching them."

Eddie sighed. "Alright, fair enough." He hesitated a moment, then, at his Other's gentle prodding, cemented his decision. "There's a place where you and yours would be safe. It's an underground community, under this very Park. We live there, and protect it's population. We could try to put in a good word for you to the Sanctuary's Council if you want. Try to get them to allow you and your Pack to live there."

Jasmine blinked, surprised. She thought she'd seen everything San Francisco had to offer. Why hadn't she ever heard of an underground city before? And the idea of encroaching on another predator's territory made her wolf uneasy. "Honestly, it sounds a little too good to be true," she said after a moment of contemplation.

"We thought so too, when we first saw it. The Council's very selective about who they allow to live there; we only gained a home after saving the Sanctuary from a developer who wanted to destroy it. But the Mayor, Ethan, he owes us a few favors."

"I'll think about it." When he frowned, Jaz huffed a sigh. "My Pack comes first. I'll talk to them about it, really I will. But things are just so... complicated. One of them still thinks I'm insane for trusting you, the others are... even more complicated, and with this bounty on my head... Fuck, I have to be so careful right now, Eddie. They're safe for the moment, but I have no doubts that things will change again, and soon. The money from the fights will only last so long. Maybe... Maybe staying on the move, even if we're not in the safest of places, is the best thing to do. Staying in once place... It makes it easier for predators to corner you."

"They'd have to get through us first," he told her, the symbiote loosing a sub-vocal growl of agreement that made her look at him in surprise. He'd forgotten that she could hear the alien, and made a mental note to dig up some information on wolves before they next met.

At her questioning look, he elaborated on the Other's intent. "You're our friend, Jasmine. We... we have too few friends. We're protective of the ones we have."

"I appreciate it," Jasmine said, meeting his gaze to let him see the truth in her eyes. "I really do. Just... let me figure some things out first. I need to talk with my Pack."

He nodded in understanding. "Want us to websling you home?"

"Nah. No offense, but you're easy to follow," Jaz smirked, rolling her eyes when he gave her a mock-insulted look. "I can lose any followers in the tunnels and side streets. Besides, I think all the times I double back to make sure no one's following me would annoy you if you came along."

"Fair enough." Eddie patted his side, the symbiote extruding the pen and paper the alien was carrying into his hand. It took only a moment to jot down his own cell number, ripping the sheet off the notepad and handing it to her. "If you need anything, call us. Especially if you're in trouble. We'll come help."

"Thank you." Her fingers brushed against his as she accepted the folded note, tucking it into the pocket of her jeans as she rose to her feet, stretching a little. "I'll call in a couple of days. I think it'll be about that long before my Pack will let me out of their sights again."

* * *

True enough, the first thing she heard when she walked into the hotel room an hour later was Zoe's voice raising itself over the low roar of the TV. "What in the hells happened to you?"

Gods save her from teenagers. "I tripped," she answered as she closed and locked the door, hiding a wince of pain as she shrugged out of her jacket. There were three unimpressed looks locked onto her when she turned back to them, and Jaz huffed a tired sigh in response. "I did trip. Faceplanted myself in a spectacular fashion."

Angel smirked from where she was propped up on pillows on the far bed. "And your date? How did _that_ go?"

"You're a vicious harpy," Jasmine shot back as she threw herself down onto one of the chairs that encircled a small table, idly massaging her left shoulder. "It went fine. All we did was go over maps of the tunnels. ...And beat up a few bounty hunters."

Catalina grinned and started signing the opening lyrics of ' _Can You Feel The Love Tonight_ ', ducking behind Zoe for cover when Jaz leveled a violent glare at her.

"Bounty hunters, during the day?" Zee frowned, ignoring the silently giggling teen next to her.

Jasmine avoided her gaze. "Yeah, well... The bounty might've gotten a little higher..."

"How much higher?"

"...'nother hundred thousand."

"Holy shit," Zoe muttered, eyes wide. "When you piss someone off you _really_ piss someone off."

The mutant glared. "Thank. You. Zoe."

"So, what does that mean for us?" Angel asked, one hand dropping to her swollen belly protectively. "If they're going after you during the day..."

"I... I don't know," Jasmine admitted, dropping her gaze from them to stare at the ugly carpeting. "Eddie offered to bring us somewhere safer, some Sanctuary that he protects. I said I'd talk to you all about it."

"You can't _seriously_ expect us to trust _Venom_ ," Zoe scowled.

" _I_ trust him."

Zee shook her head in disbelief. "That's what _worries_ me. He's a _monster_ , Jaz."

"And I'm not?"

"What? No!"

Cat huffed. - _Why can't you trust Jasmine's word that he's safe? I know what he's done, I've read the same newspapers. If Jaz says he's okay, then that's good enough for me._ -

Zoe snorted.

"He kills to protect," Jasmine said, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. "To keep those in his territory safe. He's a predator, yes, but he's not some mindless killer."

"He's _dangerous_."

A wry chuckle left the mutant. "So am I."

"This is getting us nowhere," Angel announced, when it looked like Zoe was going to start arguing again. "Look, Zee, if Jasmine says he's safe, then I trust her. I also trust her to kick his ass if he does anything even remotely threatening. Right?"

Jaz smirked. "Right."

.

.

.

tbc

Yes, It's been almost two years since I updated this. I was bummed by the lack of interest. I'm still bummed, but what the hell. I have a huge amount of stuff written, I just have to put everything in order.

Yes, it's a dialogue chapter. I need to get these fools into the right place to get back to some action. Plus character building through dialogue is fun. ^_^


	13. Chapter 13

Thank you all who have stuck with me on this fic. I was bummed by the lack of interest, but decided that other people's reactions shouldn't be the reason to stop posting or writing. I'm working on this, my other Venom Fic, a Fallout 3 fic that came to me in a dream, and my Ultron Fic, all at the same time. Can't promise that things will be updated regularly because of Real Life (My Dad's getting surgery in June, and I'm gonna be going to help him during recovery), but I'll still be writing, just, possibly, not updating - Snarky

* * *

.

.

.

Jasmine sighed wearily and leaned back in her chair, balancing precariously on two legs as she stretched her arms up above her head. Steady breaths from behind her told her that the three pups were still sleeping peacefully, and she smiled a bit as she tilted her head back to look over at them. Angel was sprawled out across one bed, pillows draped everywhere to support her aching muscles as she slept. Cat and Zoe were sharing the second bed, the two of them a mess of tangled limbs and blankets as Zoe snored softly, oblivious to Cat, whose legs were draped across her thighs.

Exhaustion nagged at her, but she stubbornly shoved her tiredness aside, promising her weary body that she'd catch a few hours sleep once the Pack was awake. While she could go a fairly long time without sleep - it had been months since she had allowed herself a lengthy rest - she was pushing herself well past her limits. But the Pack hadn't been hiding out in safe places, and now that Jaz knew that the bounty hunters were open to taking chances - like hunting her during the goddamn daytime - there was no way she was going to forgo keeping watch.

Still, she couldn't stop a yawn from leaving her, followed by a soft grunt as she let the chair drop back down onto it's four legs. Lights from a moving car outside made her reach out to move the edge of the curtain that covered the front windows, being careful not to let the light make her wolf eyes glow as she watched a car weave it's way into a nearby spot.

The occupants - a couple of drunkenly staggering people - didn't seem like any of a threat. Jaz watched them as they stumbled into a far off room before letting the curtain fall closed again. Hopefully they were too drunk to be noisy. Last thing she wanted was to have to listen to drunk people have sex: sometimes having a wolf's hearing backfired on her.

Hence the fact that she could hear two different TV sets, one snoring male - he sounded like a car with a horrible muffler problem - an arguing couple and yes, far off, the couple that _wasn't_ drunk enough to forgo sex.

Sigh.

Groaning softly, Jasmine flopped backwards in her chair, going limp, sliding down a bit until she was slouching.

Next to her, Zoe gave a snort, twitched, and nearly knocked Cat off the bed. The younger teen flailed a little in her sleep, did some odd boneless contortion, then stilled, her head now resting on the foot of the bed. Zee was hugging the younger teen's left foot to her chest.

Angel muttered something close to 'I don't wanna go to school', farted, sneezed, then stared snoring softly in counterpoint to Zoe.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

The next day went smoother. The day. Not the evening.

Jasmine managed to snooze - not real sleep, not with three teenagers in the room - almost the entire day while her little Pack milled around, watching TV, playing some card games, and reading some books - Cat loved to have either Angel or Zoe read to her. There was one short fight over what to watch that, thankfully, Angel settled before the mutant had been forced to haul herself out of bed.

It wasn't the restful sleep she really needed, but it was better than nothing. Her stomach woke her late in the evening, growling loud enough that the three teens in the room actually laughed at her.

Growling at them grouchily, Jasmine shuffled into the small kitchen and managed to put together a sandwich that had three times the normal amount of meat, glad that Zoe and Angel had talked her into renting a motel room with a small fridge in it.

Only once she'd fed herself did she putter around and fix dinner for the others - a similarly large sandwich for Angel along with some fruit, cereal with chocolate milk for Cat, and microwaveable ramen noodles for Zoe. She didn't know how the flame-haired teen could like such a meal, but she doubted that any of the teens would enjoy a wolf's meal - mainly fresh deer, nice and warm and bloody.

To each their own.

Though, Gods, a deer sounded good.

Giving herself a shake as if to push away the urge - _fangs sinking into fresh meat, tongue licking oh so good blood from her muzzle_ \- Jasmine went to sit on the first bed, the one closest to the door. Angel and Cat were engrossed in a movie on the TV, something about zombies trying to get into a mall, while Zoe was practicing how to shuffle cards with only one hand - she wasn't very good at it, if the card that flew past Jaz's nose was any indicator.

Laughing, she handed the card back to a muttering Zoe, then leaned back onto the headboard, her gaze settling on the TV.

A knock at the door threw Jasmine into motion.

In one movement, she was off the bed and lunging to turn off the TV, glancing back at Zoe as the teen ushered Angel and Cat into the bathroom, raising her gun in a salute as she toed the door closed, leaving only a small opening to allow her to peek into the main room.

Growling under her breath, Jasmine moved to put her back against the motel room door, her hearing easily picking up the strong, regular heartbeat of the one who had knocked. A deep sniff of the air made her eyes widen, her own heartbeat speeding up when she recognized their visitor's scent.

Trying to keep herself calm, she snapped her fingers twice, drawing Zoe's attention. Wanting to stay silent, she signed to Zoe instead of speaking aloud. - _It's Eddie!_ -

"What?!"

Angel hissed at her and smacked her upside the head. "Shh!"

"Ow! Dammit!"

Sighing in exasperation, Jaz rose a hand and pinched the bridge of her nose. _Idiots._ Grumbling now, especially since she could hear the amused chuckle from outside, she pushed away from the door and turned to open it, glaring up into stormy blue eyes. _I should smack that smirk off his face._

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?" Never let it be said that she was afraid to be direct.

Eddie blinked, glancing over her head towards the bathroom as three pairs of eyes peered out at him worriedly. Noticing the warning snarl that was coming from a wary Jasmine, he turned his attention back to her and did his best to seem as nonthreatening as possible. What had happened to all that 'kindred spirits' talk from a few days ago? "We need to talk to you."

The wolf wanted nothing more than to attack and defend the Pack, despite it's trust in him, and Jasmine did her best to squash the aggression that boiled up inside her. He had given her his word not to harm the Pack, or her, and so far, she had no reason to think otherwise. "Why?"

"The ones who put a price on your head know... about them," he gestured to the bathroom with his chin, watching as her eyes widened momentarily, then narrowed, the green leaving them to be replaced with predatory gold.

"If you were followed-"

"We weren't," he said, cutting her off. Then, seeing how tense she was, Eddie softened his tone. "We gave you our word that we wouldn't harm you and yours, remember?"

Jasmine held his gaze for a long moment, then sighed. "I must be losing my mind," she muttered as she hesitantly stepped back, allowing him to enter before she closed the door behind him and reached up to massage her suddenly aching temple. "Zoe, it's alright. Come out."

"Alright, she says." Grumbling, Zee slowly stepped out of the bathroom, making a show of not putting the gun away as she moved to lean against the bathroom's doorway, eyes narrowed as she glared at their visitor. After everything she had told Jasmine about Venom, aka Eddie Brock, Zoe still couldn't fathom why the mutant had helped him, or even why she trusted him.

Movement out of the corner of her eye made Zoe glance over at Cat as the teen preceded Angel into the room. She looked back towards Jaz as a low rumble left the mutants lips, causing Zee to turn her full attention onto Eddie, who was staring past her at the last two members of their little group. "Take a picture, it'll last longer."

"Oh, honestly, Zoe! Calm down. Do you really think that Jaz would have let him in here if she even _thought_ that he posed a threat to us?" Shaking her head, Angel gingerly maneuvered herself over to the bed that she had claimed as her own, arching an eyebrow at their visitor when he looked at her in badly veiled shock.

When she saw Jasmine bite back a snarl, Cat walked over to her and lay a hand on the mutant's good arm, frowning in concern when she felt how tense the woman was. Like a coiled spring just moments away from breaking. Worried, she rose her free hand and did her best to sign a legible message, knowing that her touch was keeping Jaz in check. - _What's wrong?_ -

Angel, who hadn't missed the sudden rise in tension, sighed and looked over at their visitor. "You might as well sit down. She's fighting for control though, so you might want to move slowly."

"I'm alright, dammit!"

"Oh, yeah, _sure_. You look like you're waiting for him to twitch so you can maul him."

Grumbling, Jasmine let Cat pull her over to sit on the edge of Angel's bed, glancing towards Eddie when he went to sit at the small table. "You people make me sound like I'm a raving lunatic."

Angel grinned and reached out to pat the mutant's shoulder. "But you're our raving lunatic." Snickering at the look Jaz gave her, she looked over at the man that was watching them in amusement. "So! What do we call you? Other than Venom, that is."

"Eddie is fine," he answered with a slight smile. He understood now, why Jasmine was so protective of her little group, and why she had insisted on gathering so much money. His best guess was that the pregnant teen was in her last trimester, and judging by how tired she looked, the baby was taking a lot out of her. "We didn't understand before, why Jasmine was so protective of you."

"Yes, well, she likes to overreact," Angel smirked, ignoring the indignant glare that Jasmine shot at her. "Introductions! That bad attitude one over there is Zoe, Cat's the cute one and I'm Angel. Um, Zee? You wanna sit or are you just going to stand there trying to glare a hole into Eddie's head?"

Zoe hissed. "Have you lost your _minds?!_ You cannot seriously expect me to be all buddy-buddy with _Venom!_ He's a murderer, he's killed people!"

"So have I," Jasmine frowned, meeting Zee's gaze with wolf-gold eyes. "Do you think less of me too?"

"But, you... he..." Unable to form a coherent sentence, Zoe threw her hands up into the air and dropped to the floor, sinking her chin into her palm as she grumbled under her breath.

With a sigh, Jaz moved to sit on the second bed, shifting to sit lotus-style so that she could easily see everyone in the room. Once she had tossed the pillows over so Angel could prop her feet up on them, she turned to look at Eddie, who had stayed oddly silent throughout the short conversation. "You were saying something about the price on my head?"

He nodded. "We tracked down another Fight, and managed to get our hands on one of the Boss's informants. He divulged information about dozens of other fight locations, as well as the drug ring that we've been looking into. Unfortunately, we learned that some of the 'regulars' at the fights are actually members of one of the Friends Of Humanity organizations. Two of them are rather high up in the local crime syndicate." He paused when he saw all the colour drain from Jasmine's face and leaned forward in the chair, resting his elbows on his thighs. "They added another fifty thousand onto your bounty... and extended it to include all of your lives."

Jasmine's eyes widened, panic rising in her as she looked over at her Pack, taking in the very real fear she saw in their eyes. " _How?_ That's... I would have known if I was being hunted. Every time I leave the motel, I spend almost a hour running around, doubling back and taking paths that no human would be able to follow. I would have smelled any pursuit. I don't... How the hell did they find out about my Pack?!"

"We don't know-"

Zoe cut him off. "How did you find us?"

He ignored her harsh tone, knowing her anger was born of fear. "My symbiotic 'Other', is not of this world," Eddie explained as the symbiote flushed black, the white spider emblem stretching across his chest and back. He sent a silent plea that the alien not go through with a full morph into Venom, not wanting to frighten the quiet Cat, and the pregnant Angel. "As such, it has senses that are... unique. We can sense you, Jasmine. It's limited in range, but after searching half the city, we managed to pinpoint your location."

Jaz frowned, absorbing that for a moment. They'd met half a dozen times, and he'd never bothered to tell her _that_. She sent a wary, suspicious, look his way, glancing at Cat when the teen snapped her fingers.

- _That's not all of it, is it? You were able to track her because of her specific mutation. Because of the wolf._ -

It was automatic for them to translate what Cat was signing into audible words when they were around someone who couldn't understand sign language, and Angel did so without even thinking about it. "Cat thinks that you were able to track Jaz because of her mutation. Because of the wolf."

"Cat doesn't talk," Jasmine explained when Eddie frowned. "So, is she right?"

Surprised at the teenage girl's insight, Eddie merely nodded. "My Other senses something different in you," he admitted, meeting Jasmine's gaze. "It can't usually track people, but something about you is unique. You... call to us. That's how we found you." He tried not to take it personally when Jasmine glared at him, obviously annoyed that he hadn't mentioned that particular ability before.

"Then what are we going to do?" Zoe asked after a long moment of silence. "We're paid up here for the next few days... and there's nowhere else that's even half as safe as this place. Besides, Angel's got an appointment at that clinic for her check-up tomorrow. There's no way we can cancel that."

Sighing, Jasmine rose a hand and massaged her aching temple. "I can defend this room, but we're only paid up here for another three days." Her mind whirled as she tried to think of a safe and healthy place to bring her Pack, but, with Angel pregnant, none of the safe-houses she knew of were suitable. _None that I know of anyway..._

The wolf within her stretched, and Jaz let it rise to the surface, wanting to make her words perfectly clear. Once she was certain of the choice she was about to make, she opened now-golden eyes and met Eddie's gaze. "If you hurt my Pack, I'll kill you. I don't care how strong, or how powerful, you and your 'Other' are. I _will_ kill you. My Pack's well-being is _everything_ to me, and I'll defend them from anything, _friend_ or foe." She paused to let than sink in, hating that she had to be so harsh to someone that she considered a friend. When he nodded, silently, she took a breath and softened her gaze. "That said... tell me about the Sanctuary you spoke of."

The symbiote rumbled in Eddie's mind. [ _Well. She's certainly direct_.]

 _Mm. She means it too_ , he mused, deciding to embellish on what Jasmine meant by 'Sanctuary' for the three teenagers benefit. "When the great earthquake of nineteen-oh-six struck San Francisco, a portion of the old city sank into the ground. The ones in charge of rebuilding the city deemed it a loss and built over it. It remained forgotten until twenty years ago, when one of the homeless looking for shelter discovered the hidden city. Since then, it has grown into a society separate from the city above it. However, the Council that governs it is very careful about who they allow to live there. We need to know if you wish us to speak to them on your behalf."

"Why?" Zoe blurted, meeting his gaze warily. "Why do you give a crap about what happens to us?"

"Because the price on your lives is the direct result of Jasmine leading us to the ringleaders of the Fights. We feel responsible-"

"That's because you _are!_ "

Jaz loosed a growl. "Zoe! That's enough! You damn well know that I _chose_ to lead him to the fights. If you're going to blame someone, blame me. I should have put the Pack first. It's _my_ fault that your lives are in danger, not his."

" _Bullshit!_ "

"Zoe!" Angel's voice stopped the fight before it could start, and she sent a warning glance in Zoe's direction before she turned her attention to Jasmine, who looked wrung out, stressed, and about five seconds from completely freaking out. "I think we should let Eddie try. I know you go out of your way to keep us safe, but you're running yourself ragged. You haven't slept in days, you're in pain, and other than the McDonalds you had last week, you haven't eaten a decent meal in over a month. Even if we can just hide out at the Sanctuary for a few days, it's worth a shot."

- _I'm with Angel_ ,- Cat signed once she had drawn Jasmine's gaze to her. - _It can't hurt to try, can it? The worse they can do is say 'no'._ -

Jasmine grit her teeth for a moment, then pushed her wolf's irritation aside. "Alright. Alright, we'll give it a go." Her wolf-amber gaze turned to Eddie, and she was mildly impressed when he met her feral gaze without flinching. She hadn't _really_ let him see the wolf part of her before. "Please, don't make me regret trusting you with the lives of my Pack."

Surprised at the rapid change of events, he merely nodded. He hadn't noticed before how worn out she was, she'd hidden it well. Even now, it was hard to see the signs; she was very good at hiding weakness. _Just like a wild animal..._

"We'll do everything within our power to help you," Eddie promised. "Starting now. We'll stay and keep watch tonight, so you can all get some sleep."

"No." Angel frowned, startling him with the determination in her voice. "You have to go talk to that Council. We only have three more days paid up for this room. The sooner we know what their answer is, the sooner we can figure out what the hell we're going to do."

Eddie smirked at Jasmine. "Are you sure you're the alpha in this Pack?"

She made a face at him. "Ha, freakin' ha."

There was a long drawn-out sigh from Zoe as the flame-haired woman rose to her feet and reluctantly flipped the safety on the gun she was holding before tucking the weapon under her belt. "Angie's right. We don't have the luxury of time anymore."

"Of course I'm right." Smirking, Angel rested her hands on her belly, feeling her baby kick as she leaned back into the pillows that were propped up against the headboard. "When will you people learn not to fight with the pregnant lady?"

Eddie chuckled. "Slow learners?"

"Very much so."

Zoe rolled her eyes. "Y'know, for someone who depends on others to go get whatever food you're craving, you're not being very grateful."

"There's pickles and chocolate milk in the fridge. I don't have to be grateful until tomorrow," she smiled, snickering at the mock glare that Zoe gave her. "Aw, you know you love me."

"Can't for the life of me imagine why."

"Hey!"

As Cat dissolved into silent laughter, Jasmine merely shook her head and tucked her hair behind her ears, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth when she heard Eddie's amused chuckle. "Alright you two, enough."

"Hmpft." Grumbling, Angel debated throwing something at Zoe, then gave up when she realized that she didn't have anything to throw except for the pillows she was leaning back against. "You're just lucky I'm too tired to get up off this bed."

Snickering, Zoe leaned against a wall and hooked her thumbs into the belt loops of her jeans, inwardly amazed that she could be so calm with Venom in the room. _I never realized how much I trust Jasmine's instincts. But, if she can sit there, all relaxed, with Venom just a few feet away from her, then she must really believe that he won't hurt us._

Ignoring Angel as she stuck her tongue out at Zoe, Jasmine turned to gaze over at Eddie, quirking an eyebrow when she saw an almost wistful expression on his face. Her wolf rumbled in curiosity, but she firmly shoved it away from her thoughts. "Tomorrow, after we bring Angel to her appointment, we should be back here by late afternoon. Will that be enough time for you to talk to the Council?"

He met her gaze and nodded, smiling gently. "More than enough. We had actually planned on accompanying you to Angel's appointment."

Angel blinked, surprised. "Really? You don't have to. I'm sure you have better things to do."

"Actually, there's nothing else we'd rather do," Eddie told her, smiling when a blush stained her cheeks. "Besides, we'd never forgive ourselves if something happened to your group."

When the Pack turned to look at her, Jasmine sighed and looked over at Eddie, a tired, crooked smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "We leave at ten."

.

.

.


	14. Chapter 14

.

.

.

Zoe was halfway through her second cup of coffee when a soft knock echoed through the hotel room's door, making her reach for the gun she had tucked under her belt as she went over and peered through the spy-hole. It was still mind-boggling to her that they were trusting Eddie Brock, of all people, but she pushed that aside as she unlocked and opened the door. "Hey. You're early. Are those donuts?"

Angel poked her head out of the bathroom, raising her voice to be heard over the hairdryer as she helped Cat straighten her auburn hair. "Did someone say 'donuts'?"

"Bottomless pit," Zoe chuckled fondly, shaking her head as she glanced back at Eddie. "C'mon in. Just don't wake Jaz, she's only been asleep for an hour."

There was a groan from the nearest bed. "S'too late. M'up."

Frowning, Eddie stepped into the room and looked over at Jasmine as she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, rubbing at her eyes as she yawned. "Sorry to wake you."

"S'okay. Zoe? Coffee?"

"Just a sec. Double strong, double sweet?"

"Please." Jaz ran her good hand through her tousled hair, then gave Eddie a tired smile. "'Mornin'. You're early, aren't you? Sit down. Zoe? What the hell time is it?"

"Nine-thirty," Zoe supplied as she handed a mug of coffee to the mutant. "Angel's up, she's just tying Cat's hair into a braid."

Amused, Eddie claimed a chair and set the box of donuts on the small table, watching as Jasmine sipped at the steaming hot liquid. Her shoulders were slouched, betraying how worn out she was, and it was easy to see the lines of pain on her face. The dark circles under her eyes along with her pale complexion made the almost healed cut on her cheek look worse than it was, and he winced in sympathy as she stiffly rose to her feet and stretched, a grimace of pain flitting over her expression as she curled her cast encased arm against her side.

A blur of movement from the bathroom doorway announced Cat's entrance into the room, and the young teen used the second bed as a trampoline in order to propel herself onto Jasmine's back. Afraid that they would both end up crashing to the floor, Eddie lunged to his feet with the intention of catching them, stopping short when Jasmine merely grunted at the impact, not phased in the least by Cat's abrupt leap onto her back.

"Oof! You're getting a bit old for this, aren't you, pup?" Smirking, Jaz turned her attention away from the girl that was now attached to her and arched an eyebrow at Eddie where he stood frozen in mid-lunge, chuckling at the expression on his face. "I'm stronger than I look, remember?"

He blinked, then returned her smile. "We remember." Relieved, he sat back down again, nodding to Zoe in thanks when she handed him a mug of coffee.

"Alright, velcro girl, off!" Wielding a rolled up magazine, Zoe lightly smacked Cat on the shoulders, chasing her off and away from Jaz. "Give her a chance to finish her coffee and get some painkillers into her before you start jumpin' on her."

- _Yes mother_ ,- Cat signed, rolling her eyes at Zoe as she did so.

"Don't you sass me," Zoe teased as she pushed a bottle of juice into the young girl's hands. "Eddie brought donuts, so if you want any you'd better claim one now before Angel gets out of the bathroom."

"I _heard_ that!"

Cat snickered and went to pluck a powdered donut out of the box, grinning at Eddie. - _She's only mad because it's true._ -

He smiled around the rim of his coffee mug as Zoe translated Cat's sign language, chuckling when Angel let out another yell of protest. _They've done a complete one-eighty since we spoke to them last night. Could they have accepted us that quickly?_

[ _See? We said that they were different than the other humans_.]

 _It's still surprising._

[ _True_.]

With a shake of her head, Jaz went to rummage through her backpack, growling in triumph as her questing fingers closed around the bottle of extra-strength Tylenol. A quick rattle of the bottle told her that there were plenty of pills left and she smirked as she shook out seven pills and quickly downed them with the rest of her coffee, pointedly ignoring the worried looks that the other three in the room were giving her as she set her mug on top of the tv and went to invade the bathroom.

Angel, who suddenly found herself shoved out of the bathroom, turned to stick her tongue out at the closed door before letting her attention wander over to their guest. "Morning! Oh, you really did bring donuts! I could kiss you!"

Zoe laughed. "The doctors said that she shouldn't drink coffee while she's pregnant, so she switched to sweets," she explained to Eddie. "You should consider yourself lucky that you weren't here when she went through caffeine withdrawal."

"That was _not_ my fault!" Glaring at Zoe, Angel lowered herself into the second chair at the small table, smiling as she inhaled the smell of fresh donuts. "You try quitting cold turkey when you're used to drinking at least ten cups of coffee a day. Gods, I could have strangled him."

" _You_ could have strangled him?" Zoe snorted and folded her arms across her chest, leaning one hip against the shelf that the TV was perched on. " _We're_ the ones who had to live with you. If you weren't pregnant, we would have drugged you unconscious."

"Gee," Angel muttered sourly, sinking her teeth into a chocolate donut. "Thanks."

- _You almost sent us screaming up the walls_ ,- Cat signed, shrugging apologetically when the redhead frowned at her. - _Well you did_.-

Yawning, Jaz toed the bathroom door open and stepped back into the bedroom, grimacing a little as she dragged a brush through her tangled hair. "Fuckin' fur," she snarled under her breath, pausing in mid step when she saw the disgruntled expression on Angel's face. Unbidden, a low, protective, growl rumbled out of her, drawing Eddie's surprised gaze, and she panicked for a heartbeat before grumbling and going to sit on the edge of a bed. "Sorry."

Taking pity on her, Cat went and knelt on the bed behind her, wrestling the hair brush from Jaz's hands and taking over the task of brushing her hair, knowing that the contact would help calm the mutant. She knew that Jasmine was exhausted, hungry and in pain. All of those things made it harder for her to fight her wolf instincts, and, unfortunately, that added stress only suceeded in bringing her wolf closer to the surface.

Jasmine shifted a little then, leaning back towards her, and Cat peeked over Jaz's shoulder, following the raven haired woman's gaze down to her hands. She was fisting and unfisting her hands, black talons gleaming in the light of the room, and because the young teen was so close, Cat was the only one who realized that Jaz was growling low in her throat.

The conversation that the other three were having fell away as Cat leaned forward and reached out to clasp Jasmine's hands in both of hers, hugging the older woman in an attempt to comfort her. As she held her, the growling slowly stopped, until the mutant gave her hands a gentle squeeze and rose to her feet, dragging Cat along with her.

"I see that growth is back," Zoe smiled as Jasmine joined them, Cat once again clinging to her back. "Feel better?"

She blushed and scratched at what little skin she could reach under her cast. "Yeah."

Angel shook a half-eaten donut at her. "How many times do I have to tell you not to fight your instincts?"

A weak smirk spread over Jaz's lips. "About a few more thousand."

"Oh, haha. Very funny. Just for that _you_ can explain your 'wolf-thing' to Eddie."

Jaz exchanged amused glances with Eddie. "He already knows," she said, blinking when Zoe gaped at her. "What?"

"'He already knows'?" Zoe echoed, eyebrows raised as she glanced between Jaz and a smirking Eddie. "And when, pray tell, did _that_ conversation happen?"

There was an absurd moment where she felt like a pup being chastised, and had she been in her wolf form, her tail would have tucked itself between her legs. Luckily, the moment passed quickly, leaving her to roll her eyes at the teenagers as she folded her arms across her chest. "Gee 'mom', I'm sorry. I didn't realise I needed permission t' have a conversation with someone."

Angel snickered, avoiding Zoe's annoyed look by pretending to be engrossed in plucking another donut out of the box. "This is like watching a kid trying to berate her parents," she mused to Eddie, who looked like he was trying very hard not to laugh.

"Oh, shut up," Zoe grumbled, feeling a blush heat her face. "I just meant... I didn't... dammit."

Taking pity on her, Jaz reached out to touch Zee's arm, smiling into the teen's brown eyes. "I'm touched that you worry about me, pup. That's normal. We're Pack. But I'm quite capable of taking care of myself."

"Not to be a Devil's Advocate," Angel murmured, drawing Jaz's attention, "but have you looked in a mirror recently?"

Jasmine frowned at her. "You're not helping."

"I'm supposed to be helping?"

"Eat your donut."

"Yes'm."

Cat muffled a snicker into Jaz's hair.

" _Anyway_ ," Jaz continued, quirking a brow at Eddie when he smirked at her. "My instincts when it comes to my Pack are complicated by Angel's pregnancy. Now more than ever because she's getting close to birthing her pup."

Angel facepalmed. "Don't call my baby a 'pup'. I'm not giving birth to White Fang!"

"Pup. Baby. It's all the same thing."

"No it's not!"

Eddie chuckled, hearing the symbiote snicker in the back of his mind when Angel gave him a dirty look. "White Fang, that's cute." When Angel threw a donut at him, the symbiote quickly lashed a tendril out from his shoulder to snatch the treat out of the air, waving it at her playfully before dropping it back into the box.

Cat glanced at her watch, eyes widening as she jumped off of Jasmine's back, hands moving rapidly. - _If we don't leave soon we'll miss the bus!_ -

"Huh?" Zoe looked at the watch that Cat held up for her to see and cursed. "Bloody hell! We're running late!"

"Bring everything important," Jasmine ordered. "If we have to run again, we should at least have the essentials with us. I can always come back for the rest our things."

"Aye, aye, Cap'tin!"

"Shaddup!"

"You'll get used to the dysfunction," Angel told Eddie with a smile when his jaw dropped a little upon seeing the other three women burst into action and begin running around the room, shoving their meager belongings into backpacks. "The only thing that drives me daft is that they won't let me do anything."

He dragged his gaze away from the whirlwind of activity and gave her a reassuring smile. "Can you blame them? You're what, in your third trimester? Too many things could go wrong, especially since you four have been living on the streets."

"Yeah. I know. But it's still annoying." Frowning, she sunk her chin into the palm of her hand, then grimaced, her free hand lowering to her belly. "Oof! And if this kid doesn't quit kickin' me I'm gonna be black and blue from the inside-out."

"You going to be alright to go out?" Jasmine asked as she rejoined them, hopping into her sneakers while simultaneously tugging her jacket on, cursing when the sleeve caught on her cast. Annoyed, she used a talon to slit the cuff, growling in a feral victory as she yanked the sleeve over the bulky cast.

"Come here, you fool." Laughing, Angel reached out and rolled the sleeve up so that the cast was uncovered, then copied the motion on the other sleeve. "I'll be fine, O' Overprotective One. The bus stop's only a block away. I think I'll survive."

"We could carry you," Eddie suggested, keeping his tone gentle, feeling the Other shift over his skin in agreement. "We wouldn't mind."

She smiled a little and shook her head. "Thanks, but no."

"Stubborn," Jasmine muttered as she slid her arms through the straps of her backpack, then reached down and picked up the other bag that belonged to Angel. Cat tugged on her arm, and she smiled as the young teen handed her blue-tinted sunglasses to her. "Thanks, pup. Zoe?"

Brown eyes sparkled under flame coloured bangs. "Ready. Let's get our asses in gear." Grinning, she grabbed the last donut, shoved it in her mouth, and stomped out the door, humming to herself.

- _Well_ ,- Cat signed, a smile tugging at her lips. - _We can't ever accuse her of being shy._ -

"I can think of other things to call her," Jasmine mused, watching as Eddie got to his feet and offered his arm to Angel, who smiled as she placed her hand in his and let him help her stand. It still bothered her, how her instincts were reacting to him. She couldn't quite filter everything out, but there was certainly a lot of trust involved. _Just what I need. Another thing to worry about. I need to find a quiet corner and mull this through_. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she quietly ushered Cat after Eddie and Angel, then yanked the door closed and locked it. _It's going to be a long day._  
.

.

.

tbc


	15. Chapter 15

.

.

.

Jasmine sighed and ran her free hand through her hair, biting at her lower lip in order to squash the growl that was rising in her chest. Angel was in the examination room, with Zoe for both support and protection. No matter how much she wanted to hover protectively over the pregnant girl, there was no way she'd be able to avoid having either the nurse or doctor notice that she was a mutant.

So, she paced - ignoring Cat when the teen rolled her eyes at her - and continued circling the waiting room. It was a good thing that there was only one other couple there, otherwise the cramped confines of the room would have driven her insane.

She was halfway through another circle when a large hand lightly closed around her good wrist, and she frowned as she turned to look down into Eddie's blue eyes.

"You're making us dizzy," he told her before gesturing to the couple who were sitting on the other side of the small room. "And you're scaring them."

Now that he had mentioned it, she _could_ smell the fear coming off of the couple, and the realization pulled a low grumble from her as she let him tug her down onto a chair beside him. Sighing, she slid her backpack off her shoulder and tucked it under her chair, closing her eyes as she lightly banged her head back against the wall, listening as Eddie spoke to Cat, who was teaching him the basics in sign language.

Frowning, she concentrated a bit more, just barely managing to make out the murmurs that were coming from the room Angel and Zoe were in. The tones were still calm, comforting, with no hint of any sort of stress or fear, and a deep inhale through her nose allowed her to dissect the scents of the office, confirming what her ears had already told her.

But her sense of smell was a double-edged sword. As soon as her mind confirmed that her friends were still alright, Eddie's odd scent hit her head on, and since she had nothing better to do, she automatically picked it apart. If she hadn't known that he was bonded to an alien symbiote, she would have thought him a mutant. True, while he wasn't quite human anymore, he still had some human masculinity in his scent, but most of it was overwhelmed or intertwined with a cool, very alien, and almost predatory tinge.

"...ine? Jasmine!"

She yelped, a very canine sound, and snapped her eyes open, jolting back in surprise and cursing when she slammed her head back against the wall. "Ow! What?!"

Eddie hesitated at the shadow in her eyes. "Are you alright?"

Cat took the opportunity to lean past him. - _We've been trying to wake you for almost a minute! What's wrong?_ -

"I'm just tired. No worries, pup."

As Cat shrugged and sat back, Eddie frowned at her and reached up to tilt her sunglasses down so he could look into her green eyes, pitching his voice low so Cat wouldn't overhear. "You don't lie very well."

A growl bubbled up in her chest, but she firmly squashed it down. "I don't do it very often. Let go."

The symbiote's interest perked up in the back of his mind as he briefly considered not letting go. In the end though, he carefully resettled her sunglasses and leaned back into his chair.

 _*click*_

The sound sent Jasmine to her feet, a low snarl escaping through already lengthening fangs as she turned towards it's source, eyes turning predatory gold when a series of thumps and curses came from the back of the office. The scent of too-familiar blood propelled her forward, a taloned hand shoving the nurse out of the way as she bolted behind the reception desk. She hit the exam room door with enough force that it splintered at the impact, startling the gunman who was trying to get a hold of a bleeding, struggling, biting and kicking, Zoe.

Without hesitation, she leapt at the intruder, talons ripping through the material of his shirt and deep into his flesh. As he staggered backwards in shock and pain, she swept his feet out from under him and took him out of the fight with a well aimed kick to his head, the sound of the solid hit making the wolf in her snarl in satisfaction that the threat he posed was permanently removed.

A second thug grabbed Zoe and used her as a shield, nuzzling a knife against her throat to keep her still as he used his other hand to rise his own handgun that had previously hidden under his jacket. Jaz saw it a fraction of a second too late. The first bullet tore through her right shoulder, ripping a howl of pain from her throat that was cut short when something huge tackled her to the floor, it's weight pressing her to the tiles as the rest of the gun's clip emptied into it.

Growling, Venom pinned her to the floor as the symbiote caught and expelled bullets as fast as they hit him, shielding her from the onslaught until a telltale click informed him that the soon to be dead gunman had run out of ammo. Mere seconds after the sound, he shot an arm up and fired a line of webbing, the steel strong fibers wrapping around the thugs legs; enabling him to yank the fools feet out from under him before a second web wrapped around the gunman's head and neck, effectively cutting off his air supply and leaving him to suffocate.

Before he could check on Jasmine, he found himself roughly shoved aside as the woman scrambled out from under him and darted to Zoe's side. He didn't bother to stop the low snarl that escaped him when he moved to get to his feet and caught sight of the freely bleeding gunshot wound in the mutants right shoulder.

"Zoe!" Jaz grabbed a bed-sheet from the counter with her left hand and used her fangs to help her rip a strip of cloth from it, reaching out to hold it against the deep gash that the flame haired teen had on her forehead. "Where's Angel?!"

Shaking from both fright and adrenaline, Zoe weakly gestured to the heavy examination table that had been shoved closer to the corner of the room, the overturned ultrasound machine that was toppled over it partially obscuring the hiding spot behind the bed.

Following Zoe's pointing finger, Venom crossed the room in two steps and effortlessly hauled the table away from the wall, the symbiote extending a tendril to toss the ultrasound machine out of his way as he reached out to gently scoop a pale Angel into his arms. "Did they hurt you? The baby..."

"I-I'm alright." Still shaken, Angel sagged into his hold, both of her hands covering her belly protectively. "T-they came out of nowhere. The nurse had just left and they barged- Oh God! Zoe!"

"Jasmine's looking after her," Venom rumbled, cradling her in his arms as he turned so that she could see her friends, his own narrowed gaze moving to Jaz's right arm where it hung at her side. Blood trickled down her arm from her shoulder, collecting at her fingertips for a brief moment before dripping to the floor.

"Lovely," Angel sighed upon seeing the state of the mutant's shoulder. "Who's looking after Jasmine?"

Despite his growing concern and the urge to see if the kidnapper that Jaz had incapacitated was alive enough to interrogate, a snicker left him at Angel's sarcastic remark.

A series of crashes and a high pitched scream came from the direction of the waiting room, and Angel sent a panicked look over at Jasmine and Zoe. "Ohmigod! Where's Cat?!"

With a horrified cry, Jasmine launched herself out of the small office, howling Catalina's name as she vaulted the reception desk and landed amid a mess of chairs and tables. The couple that she had frightened before were huddled in a corner, the man having thrown himself over his pregnant wife to protect her. The waiting room was a mess of new scents, and it was almost a full three seconds before Jasmine managed to filter through them and find Cat's more familiar aura. It was laced with fear and panic, along with a tinge of blood that pulled a low threatening growl from her throat.

"Jaz!" Worried, Zoe darted over to the raven haired woman, skidding to a stop when she realized that Jasmine was literally shaking with rage, her hands fisted at her sides as her breath hissed out from between clenched teeth. It was the sight of Cat's backpack, where it lay under an overturned chair, that clued Zoe in to what must have happened. "Oh. Oh, shit."

"They knocked her out and took her! We've called the police-"

The snarl that left Jasmine made the nurse faint dead away and actually made Zoe step away from her.

"We hope that wasn't because of us," Venom muttered as he eyed the unconscious nurse. He was still carrying Angel. While neither the symbiote or Eddie knew much about pregnancy, Eddie's knowledge of first aid was enough to let him know that the nasty bump on Angel's head, along with her still rapid heartbeat couldn't be good for the baby or the expectant mother. And he didn't know if the teen would be comfortable with the symbiote trying to sense if the baby was well or not.

"Zoe!" Angel had already tried to get Venom to put her down, and, once she found that he was apparently more stubborn than Jasmine, had instead ordered him to bring her out to the others. "Zoe, where's Cat?"

Swallowing around the lump in her throat, Zoe glanced at Angel and shook her head.

Another snarl rumbled out of Jasmine's throat, and the mutant let her rage wipe away the pain of the bullet wound in her shoulder as she spun and let her now gold wolf eyes settle onto Venom. "Get Zoe and Angel out of here!" she snapped, ignoring his baffled look as she yanked her jacket and tee shirt off and threw them towards Cat's backpack. "Bring them back to the motel!"

"We are _not_ leaving you-"

" _Go!_ " Her voice deepened, gaining a permanent feral growl to it. Her mouth felt too small for her growing fangs as she reached for her wolf, her senses sharpening with every heartbeat as she turned towards the office door. "You promised to protect them and I'm holding you to it!"

When he reached out with a symbiote tendril to stop her, Angel whacked him on the chest. "Don't! Don't touch her while she's Shifting!"

"Shifting?" The sound of a snarl accompanied by tearing cloth jerked his attention back to Jasmine, and he felt his jaw drop when he found himself staring at a six foot tall bipedal wolf. It stood on digitigrade legs with the aid of a bushy tail for balance, toe talons curling a little into the laminated floor as it finished ripping a cast off of it's left arm. "...and we thought we had seen everything."

She - he was oddly certain that it was female as he took note of her furred chest - had the sleek, graceful, musculature of a runner, though he was certain that, like her human form, her looks belied the strength that was hidden away.

Rich, black, fur seemed to shimmer under the lights. Most of the wolf's pelt was an inky black, with a few silver strands interspersed throughout, but, as he studied her, Venom found that her fur had an odd iridescence to it. The florescent lights accented the red highlights in her pelt, the out of place colour seemingly limited to certain patches - her ears, the top of her muscled shoulders, and the line of her spine.

Black fur shimmered, glimpses of silver and red catching the light as she gave herself a shake, tail lashing, before her ears twitched, her head turning towards him. Jaws parted, lips pulling back to show a muzzle full of fangs, eyes a predatory gold; and Venom had the absurd feeling that she was laughing at him. _Tricky, puppy_.

Jasmine stretched, reveling in the temporary euphoria that the Shift always gave her as she shook her fur into place, tail swaying in order to help her keep her balance as she turned to look at Zoe, Angel and Venom. The sight of blood on Zoe's face instantly reminded her why she had Shifted in the first place, and Jaz frowned as she rose a furred hand to wipe at the blood on Zoe's temple. Growling now, she turned her golden gaze onto Venom, slightly disturbed by the approving look he was giving her.

- _Keep your promise,_ \- she signed, rumbling at Zoe in thanks when the fiery-haired woman translated the sign language. Jaz paused to give Angel a worried nuzzle, then dropped to all fours and bolted out the door.

.

.

.


End file.
